The American Fool
by KHforager
Summary: Nothing so far in life has been easy, and it's certainly not going to let up. Follow Faye Aselin on her journey as the Velvet Room's newest Wild Card. (Inspired by MagnusRagar's P3 A Fool Named Fortune) *FIRST THREE CHAPTERS RE-VAMPED*
1. And so it Begins

I don't own Persona 3 or any of the characters. Only the main character in this story belongs to me (-w- )

***Edit: Chapter Re-vamped on 6/30/13**

* * *

Long rides always have to make you exhausted. Why is that? You would think sitting around all day while you're inside a moving metal box you would have enough energy to stay up for an entire day. But no, reality loves taking jabs at you whenever it feels necessary and make you tired as fudge after two flights halfway across the planet. But hey, I was the one who decided to take the trip from VA to Japan.

And after those long flight, I was a well ways off from my actual destination. Apparently there are no airports in Iwatodai. So like every other person, who was like me, got onto a train to get to their actual destination. Luckily the airport was also a train station, go figure! But it also has to have it's fair share of problems, doesn't it? The one and only train heading in the direction of Iwatodai was delayed for an hour for unexplained reasons. More and more time piling up that would cause me to be late.

Now, I'm not really one for train. Something about a huge lug of metal on a rail way, moving faster than a car, underground no less never really struck me as safe. Though I somehow fell asleep on the thing. Why? I don't know. It be like asking why the earth revolves around the sun, it kinda just happens.

Though, how that would explain cryptic dreams is beyond me. Everything around me was shrouded in complete darkness. There was no discernible up or down. It was disorienting like if I were swimming in water but I still felt I was standing up right. In any direction was blackness. No light coming from anywhere. That is until I saw something in the corner of my eye. A beautiful butterfly, gently fluttering in front of my path. It glowed a soft blue, the same color of its wings. It gave off a warm feeling in the void. I slowly reached out for it as the butterfly flew towards me. It came to rest on the tip of my finger, then a gentle voice began to speak in my mind.

_'Time never waits._

_ I delivers us all to the same end._

_You, who wish to safeguard the future,_

_ however limited it may be..._

_You will be given one year;_

_go forth without falter_

_ with your heart as your guide.'_

I suddenly jolted awake before I could fall over in my sleep. I looked out the window of the train and noticed it had been slowing down. I'd be in Iwatodai soon.

That dream was so strange though...it actually seemed familiar. I wonder if I've had it before. Dismissing the thought an announcer began speaking shortly after. "This is the final train bound for Tatsumi Port Island. Please to take care before our departure."

With nearly all over my belongings sent ahead of me, I just had to worry about getting my luggage from under my seat and the Ipod in my pocket. I wouldn't dare go without that thing.

The train soon came to a halt the doors slid opened. I stepped off and walked straight to exit of the station. Once out, I noticed a few glaring things. The entire world had changed to an emerald green color, the streets decorated by blood stains and coffins lining the sidewalks. The moon, that was normally smaller, was now three times larger, glowing a sickly yellow while hanging in the sky. It's odd to say the least. I didn't think this would happen at night as well. But who could forget about times zones, huh?

At least it was less disturbing.

But along with the obvious color shift, I had to walk through the eerie silence without music. Didn't mention that all electronic stopped working at this time. I got use to it but it's still annoying all the same.

While walking it I came to realize that I'm gonna stick out like a sore thumb. I mean, I'm a dark skinned american with like brown-purplish hair. And there gonna randomly find me were ever I end up. Gonna say 'Hey, how did you pop out of nowhere like that. Are you a ninja or something?' Gosh...

There wasn't much trouble finding the dorm with the directions I was given. Especially once I saw how much the dorm seemed to stand out. I wasn't that fancy, but it dwarfed the buildings it sat in between. Gotta wonder how many people are staying here.

Opening the front door, which was unlocked, I was greeted by a boy wearing some clothes that were definitely to big. It sort of reminded me of those old jail outfits you see in cartoons. He stood by the counter, looking at me with a vacant expression while a smile was drawn on his face. "You're late. I've been waiting for you."

"I-I'm sorry." I said timidly, rubbing my arm a bit. "I didn't think it would take so long to get here" I had to wonder why this kid stayed up till midnight waiting for me. Or why he was expecting me.

"No need to apologize. Now please sign your name there." He pulled out a folder from the counter top then walked over and handed it to me. "It's a contract. Don't worry," The boy said, waving his hand like it wasn't all that important, "all it says is that you'll accept full responsibility for your actions. You know, the usual stuff."

"A contract...alright I guess." I said as I opened the folder. I read over the contents quickly, there wasn't much except for the Archaic English... "Is this required here or something?"

"Only if you wish to proceed further." He smiled cheerfully.

I thought it over for a moment before signing my name at the bottom. Faye Aselin. Yeaah, I think every person will realize I'm American once they hear my name. If the way I look doesn't give it away first. It isn't everyday you see an Japanese person walking around with really dark skin with purple hair.

"No one can escape time." He spoke up, gingerly taking the contract out of my hands. "It delivers us all to the same end. You can't plug your ears and cover your eyes." With a simple flick of his wrist, the folder disappeared out of sight. Ah, he knows magic tricks. "And so it begins." As he said the last part, he stepped back into the shadows, melding with the darkness before he vanished.

Awesome...

Then all of sudden there were loud footsteps coming from the other end of the room. As best I could see in the dark she had on a pink shirt and short light brown hair. She came running into the lounge but stopped after catching sight of me.

"W-Who are you?" She questioned me. And I certainly would of answered her question if I hadn't noticed the gun strapped to her leg. Don't care who, but I'm not a fan of answering antsy people when they've got a gun on them. Conversations do not really turn out that well.

Slight panic mode came on when the girl moved her hand closer to the gun. I just stood there, laughing awkwardly as I slowly back away from her and closer to the doors. It wan't moments later before another set of feet came towards the lounge."What's going on?" I jumped a bit with the sternness of her voice. She caught the other one's attention, a slight sense of relief on the both of us.

And the electricity came back on. Bonus.

The person, who now stood next to the one in pink, appeared more mature. In a literal and metaphorical sense. A tall, confident stature, and looked very respectable. "I didn't think you would arrive so late. My name is Mitsuru Kirijo." She spoke with a soft smile. "I'm one of the students who live in this dorm." At least she wasn't quick to judge compared to the one in pink.

"Who's she?" Said person asked, in slight annoyance. I would of thought she wouldn't of been annoyed with her almost pulling out a gun on me, but I digress.

"M-My name's Faye Aselin." I stuttered as I introduced myself. "It was decided on short noticed that I was to Iwatodai...T-To finish my high school studies." I added on since the one in pink gave me an odd glare.

"Indeed." Mitsuru nodded in confirmation. "That being said, she'll eventually be moved to one the normal dorms." Normal dorms... This isn't the normal dorms? Then why was I sent here again?

"...Is it okay for her to be here?" The pink one asked Mitsuru concerned. Whatever was worrying her, she wasn't hiding it to well. It is nice to know why you shouldn't be in a certain place before you kicked out.

"I guess we'll see..." Mitsuru relied, a slight laugh in her voice. "This is Yukari Takeba." She gestured to the pink girl. "She'll be a junior this spring, just like you."

She was a little more than reluctant to answer. "...Hey" I can see she's still hesitant about me, but really. Why? Is it because I'm from the U.S.

"It's nice to met you." I greeted, keeping my thoughts to myself.

"Uh, y-yeah...Nice to meet you too." I mentally threw up my arms in annoyance. Meh, just meh!

"Actually, I may ask some questions?"

"And what would that be?" Mitsuru spoke, slightly raising her brow in confusion.

"What's with the gun?" I said bluntly, my index finger pointing directly at the metal object strapped to her leg. Out in the open for the entire world to see.

Though Yukari thought otherwise. "Huh?" She looked down to her side. There really was no way I was gonna forget with it being there. It was very shiny. "Well, it's sorta like a hobby... Well, not a hobby but..." Yukari kept correcting herself, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation for the weapon.

"You know how it is these days," Mitsuru interrupted her, "it's for self defense. It's not a real gun, of course." She stood there confident in her answer.

Not real, awesome. "I didn't things would be that bad over here." I commented. "It was...unexpected." I grinned nervously, scratching my cheek. Which somehow got me thinking about that pj-boy. "And, uh...do you normally have people sign a contract when you first come here?"

Both of them gave me a confused look. They gave each other a glance before turning back to me. "A contract..." Yukari repeated slowly making sure what she heard was right. "What are you talking about? We don't have contracts here or anything." She said like it really wasn't a thing.

"It's getting late, so you should get some rest." Mitsuru stated rather quickly. "Your room is on the 3rd floor, at the end of the hallway. Your things should already be there. I suggest you tuck in for the night."

"Gladly." I took the invitation, stretching my arms above me before continuing. I smiled timidly. "I am still tired from jet-lag and all."

"If that's the case, then I'll show you the way." Yukari spoke up. She sounded more cheerful than before which lessened the tension between us a little. At least, that's what it felt like for me. "Follow me."

"T-thanks." I grabbed my luggage then the both of us made our way upstairs.

God, tell me why am I up on the third floor. Yes, I'm probably just really tired right now, but still. Why couldn't of my room be on the second floor at least. Unless all the rooms are filled then just...never mind. We walked to the end of the hall, passing by a number of doors. How many people live here?

"This is it. Pretty easy to remember, huh?...Since it's right at the end of the hall." She attempted to joke at it.

"Heh, yeah" I examined the entirety of the door in the awkward atmosphere. "So...is it open?"

"Yeah, for right now." She explained. "Tomorrow we'll give you the key to your room. And you want to make sure you don't lose it. Or you'll never hear the end of it." She said admittedly, hanging her head in shame.

"Oh!" I said painfully. "Did that happen to you?"

"Unfortunately yes. Got a mouthful from both of our senpai's"

"Both?"

"Yeah, Mitsuru and Akihiko senpai." Yukari answered. Okay so Mitsuru really was older than Yukari and I.

"Uh, I have one more thing to ask before I go to sleep."

"And what's that?" She said nervously.

"Do kids below high school level live here too?" I asked bluntly.

Relief washed all over her face. I would like to know what she keeps getting so worked up about.

"As far as I know only people in high school live here at the dorm. You should probably ask senpai later." Not a hundred percent chance, and not zero either. "Um...Can I ask you something?" Yukari asked, bringing me back before I went deep into thought. "On your way here from the station...was everything okay?"

"Everything was pretty much normal when I was coming here." Or as normal as it could get. "Why?"

"Oh, nothing really, I was just curious." She didn't appear entirely sure about my answer, but it was enough for here. "Well, I better get going..."

"Okay...night." I waved at her as she walked down the hall. I entered my room dragging my luggage in. I dropped in a random corner then plopped myself onto bed, not bothering to change into my pj's. I didn't realize I was this tired until I felt the comfort of the sheets. The pillow and mattress were so soft and light. Man, it's been years since I'd felt something this nice.

* * *

It was early morning and there was a loud knocking from the door, interrupting my sleep. Who ever it was opened the door. I could tell with all the creaking coming from it. "Good morning." Yukari spoke quietly. "Did you sleep okay? Mitsuru-senpai asked me to take you to school. It's getting late, so are you ready to go?" The last part came out more concerned. I was still laying in my bed and hadn't moved a single inch since she stepped in the room.

"Um...let's say almost." I mumbled, still groggy from just waking up."How, no...what time do we have to leave?"

"In about 15 minutes."

I scratched the back of my head as I sat up. "Eh, give me ten minutes. I'll be ready then." I slipped off the bed grabbing my Ipod to check the time. "Oh, Yukari," I snapped my fingers trying to remember what I was about to say, "you guys have bagels?"

"...Yeah"

"Awesome." I fist pumped.

"...Okay, I'll be waiting in the lobby." She definitely wasn't confident in my abilities to get ready in that much time. She underestimates meeee.

I walked towards the closet where the uniform was hanging. Awesome, the uniform has a skirt... Never before I had to wear a skirt nor shall I start today. Okay, I've probably worn one a once or twice, but never have I liked them. And of course the uniform for girls comes with skirts. But me being smart and lucky, I packed a pair of black slacks that go with it. I also switched out the white undershirt for a blue one. The shirt was much longer than the jacket, I left that open. It would weird if didn't.

After getting everything else together I made my way downstairs. And in eight minutes top with the power of music. Yukari sitting in the lounge waiting for me, but gave me a funny look as I came down."Um...how come you're wearing pants?"

"Y-Yeah... I like pants." She's still looking at me funny. "I'm not a big fan of skirts."

* * *

Making a bagel, we left the dorm then went the train station. It was the same one I was on when I first came here. Yukari also explained that students get discounts for the tickets so we don't have to pay when going to and from school. Yukari and I didn't talk that much since it was a somewhat awkward ride. I attracted a lot of attention from other students which stirred up some conversations. One I picked up was whether I was a girl or a guy... Excuse me for wearing pants instead of a skirt. I didn't know it was hard to tell otherwise.

"Hey, at your last school, did you take the monorail?" Yukari asked in curiosity.

I pulled out one of my headphones to answer. "No," I sighed. "Back in the America I used to take the bus."

"It must of been exciting."

"Heh, like you wouldn't believe." I replied in slight annoyance. Exciting on a bus translated to loud and crowded. I never like sitting three to a seat on those darn things.

"So that's it." Yukari pointed in the direction of a huge island that slowly appeared as the train started turning in. "See? There it is." It was pretty, and it was massive. How big is the school?

We arrived in front of gates of the school. Both huge and decorative."Well, this is it. Welcome to Gekkoukan High School." Yukari said confidently as she stood there.

"Heh, welcome indeed." I could feel a grin working its' way onto my face. This was certainly going to be a interesting year.

* * *

"You're okay from here right?" Yukari asked. Both us were at the shoe lockers putting on our indoor shoes. Apparently here you have to wear a different pair shoes inside the building. Hope no one gets any funny ideas.

"Yeah I should be. Though I'm not sure where I find out where my homeroom is." I put my tennis shoes into my locker before closing it shut.

Yukari turned towards me then pointed at a bulletin board behind a mass of students. "There you can look at the classroom assignments on there, though it's kinda crowed right now. You could try going to the Faculty Office, it's down the right hallway on the left."

"M'kay, thanks." I picked up my backpack then walked in the direction of the faculty office. "Well, I guess I'll see you later."

"Hey!" I looked back over at Yukari who was a little more than desperate to tell me something. "...About last night...Don't telling anyone what you saw, okay?" I nodded. "...See ya later." Okay, the whole 'Green Night' is a secret to everyone... Makes sense when you think about it though.

I made my way down the the Faculty Office, there's no way on Earth I'd try to go through that crowd. And I certainly don't think I would die down anytime soon. Slide the door open and noticed there was one person in there. A teacher I assumed.

She raised her head after hearing the door being opened and saw me standing there "Oh, are you a new student?" I nodded in response then stepped inside the office. She paused for a second putting her pen to her chin. "Oh sorry, not to be rude, but can you tell me your name." She asked.

"My name's Faye Aselin...eleventh grade." I replied. An 'o' expression came on her face once she her my name.

The teacher picked a clipboard from in front of her and flipped through some of the pages. "Let's see. In 1999, that was what, 10 years ago. Your father-" She stopped, her eyes moving across the paper before she spoke up again, "and 4 years ago. I'm sorry" She gave me a look of sympathy. "...I've been so, busy, I didn't have time to read this beforehand."

"It's alright..." I smiled reassuringly.

The sympathetic expression disappeared from her face. "Alright then. I'm Ms. Toriumi. I teach Composition. Welcome to our school."

"Well, it's nice to meet you." I bowed slightly.

"Wow, such enthusiasm!" She said excitedly. "Have you seen the classroom assignments?"

I shook my head. "It was crowded by the bulletin board when I first arrived, so I wasn't able to check."

"Hm...," She glanced at the clip board again, "As it so happens, you're in 2-F; that's my class." Awesome. "But first, we need to go to the auditorium. The Welcoming Ceremony will be starting soon. Follow me." A ceremony huh, I wonder what it's like.

* * *

Turns out it's incredibly boring. The principal talked so slow it's not even funny. Every waking minute that passed by while I was siting there I wished I was in class. Or at the dorm. Or in American. Other students thought the same thing as they started having conversations around the room

"I heard we got a transfer student." There was a guy talking behind me. Seems like news travels fast too.

"Yep, I've seen her, too. She came to school with Yukari. But I had to double check, cuz' from behind she looked like a dude." Of course I do. Seriously. Pants. It's still not hard to tell if a person's guy or not.

* * *

School is finally over! I'm tired of sitting in the same seat all day. A plus, I wan't late for class, a down side, we never get up. That and I had completely forgotten that they did that here. I shall miss the old days where I had classes in different parts of the building. I stretched my arms over the front of my desk while reminiscing.

"S'up dude? How's it goin'?" And this tall kid comes out of nowhere, snapping me out of my thoughts. Pretty tall, dark skin...baseball hat. The guy looked friendly.

"Uh, things are going...alright." I shrugged my shoulders a bit. "Can I ask who are you?" Yeah, I'm kind of bad around people I don't know.

"Me?" He pointed to himself. "I'm Junpei Iori. Nice to meet ya."

"Nice to meet you too." I half smiled. I wasn't entirely sure how to react to him yet.

"Hey, no need to be nervous around me. You know, I transferred here when I was in 8th grade." He put his hand on his chin as he thought back before stuffing it back in his pocket. "I know how tough it is bein' the new kid...So I wanted to say, 'hey'...See what a nice guy I'm."

I smirked. "You know, that last part was just a wee bit overboard." I put my index finger and thumb close together to emphasize.

"Oh, right here!" Junpei leaned back a little as he patted himself over his heart. A sigh loud come from the left as Yukari came walking over from her seat. "Hey, it's Yuka-tan. I didn't think we'd be in the same class again."

"Honestly is there any girl you wouldn't hit on?" Yukari said in disappointment. "Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?"

I stood up from my chair, getting ready to head out. And God, Junpei isn't really that much taller than me, a couple inches at most. "It's alright Yukari-san, like he said, he was just being _friendly_." A big emphasis on friendly.

"Yeah. Anyway, some coincidence that we'd be in the same homeroom, huh?" Yukari commented.

"Yeah, I have to say I was surprised. Even more if we sat next to each other, right?" I grinned. It actually would of been hilarious if we did sit next to each other.

"Now that I think would freak me out a bit." Yukari giggled.

"Um, hello? Are you forgetting that I'm in this class too?" I looked back at Junpei, who was flailing he arms in dramatic fashion to get our attention. "By the way, do you guys know each other. I heard you two came to school together this morning." I glanced at Yukari who looked panicked about what he said. "A couple of cuties like you, walking side by side... The whole class was buzzing about you."

"Ugh, could you just cut it out? I hate dealing with rumors like that." Yukari shut her eyes in annoyance.

"I came to the dorm the other day, and Yukari-san was just showing me around." I explained in her stead. She appeared slightly relived once I said that before looking at the clock.

"Well, I've gotta go take care of some archery team stuff." She turned and glared at Junpei. "Don't try anything funny, you got that Junpei?" He raised his hands up in defense. Then she walked straight out the the class.

Once she was out of sight Junpei sighed of relief. "What is she, your nanny...?"

"I donno, and by the why she acted, it seems like you normally do this kind of thing." I teased.

"H-Hey, just to clear something up, I seriously didn't come over to hit on you or anything."

"Sure you weren't..." I turned grabbing my stuff from my seat, a grin slowly coming on my face.

"I-I'm being serious." He argued. "If you ever have a problem, you can tell you ol' pal Junpei about it!" He said, pointing his thumb right at his chest.

"Heheh, thanks." I smiled.

"You know, you are kind of cute. Though you should change the clothes or something. If you hadn' talked before, I would of thought you were a dude." And the smile dropped off the face of the earth. "H-Hey, don't get the wrong idea! I was just saying, you look just fine like that too. Anyway, be seein' ya around." And he grabbed his backpack then hurried out the door.

* * *

Arriving back at the dorm, I saw Mitsuru sitting on one of the couches in the lounge reading a book. "Welcome back." She said keeping her eyes on the pages in front of her.

"It's good to be back." I responded. She looked busy with the book so I just headed upstairs to my room. I was fiddling around with my Ipod, not paying much attention to what was in front of me. Not the best thing to be doing while going up stairs. I accidentally bumped into someone else while heading up. "Oh, s-sorry about that." I at first glance he look older than me, with his silver hair and all. Probably one of the other students that lived here.

"It's alright." He said walking passed me and head down where I came from.

Hmm... Either way, up another floor and straight into my room. Did some homework that I was assigned that day then went to bed.

Nothing new happened in school the next day. But there was definitely something new at the dorm. There was a man there wearing a brown suit, siting in the lounge waiting patiently for something. Yukari was also in the lounge with him. "Oh, she's back." Yukari said, noticing my presence at the door. The man looked in the same direction.

"So, this is our new guest..." He spoke with a smile on his face. Yukari gestured me over to sit beside her, so I did just that and sat next to her on the couch. "Good evening. My name is Shuji Ikutsuki. I'm the Chairman of the Board for your school." He introduced himself.

"Shuji Ikuts...Iku-tsu-ki." His last name was a little harder to pronounce.

"'Ikutsuki'...Hard to say, isn't it? That's why I don't like introducing myself. Even I get tongue-tied sometimes..." He said jokingly.

I tried to crack a smile. "I-I can see why." I'm not sure why but...there something off about him.

"I apologize about the confusion regarding your accommodations. However, it may take a while longer before you receive the proper room assignment." Ikutsuki explained. It was nice how he was calm about me not having the right room but it'd be wonderful to know where I'm actually suppose to stay. "Do you have any questions to ask?"

"Uh, yes, actually... Who else lives here at the dorm?" I asked hoping to hear about the pj kid.

"There are only 4 students in this dorm; that would be you, Yukari here, Mitsuru and a senior named Akihiko Sanada." He listed them all off. Alright, there are four people at this huge dorm, tons of rooms, and no pj kid. Why I can't I stay here again if there's practically no one here. "Any other questions?" He asked, interrupting me mid thought.

"Just one more. Is this dorm special for any reason that I can't stay."

He stopped to think for a moment. "...This dorm is for those that are in a special club. Those who are non-club member may be a hindrance if they should stay here." A special club... Wonder what kind of club it is.

"If there are no more questions, then I hope you have a successful school year." Ikutsuki said, cutting the conversation short. "Now if you'll excuse me. You must be tired from all the excitement. You should go to bed early. As they say, 'The early bird catches the bookworm!" I cringed internally. Why do people like puns so much? Meh.

"I guess I'll take your advice and head up." I stood up from the couch. "It was nice meeting you Ikutsuki-san. Night." Then I hurried and went to my bed room.

* * *

After getting ready for bed I spotted a tiny camera in the corner of the room. "Is someone using that?" I questioned. I'll just cover it up tomorrow to find out.

* * *

A soft piano melody echoed in my mind, drawing me somewhere. I opened my eyes and found myself sitting in a regal blue chair. The surrounding was an elevator moving up at incredible speeds. Everything in the room was blue except for the golden clock that hung overhead. Across from where I was, there was a lady standing there in a blue bell hopper outfit. Next to her was an old man, sitting comfortably in his chair with arms crossed in front of him. He has bloodshot eyes and a really Really REALLY BIG Nose.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear young lady. My name is Igor and I am delighted to make your acquaintance." He said, a smile creeping onto his face. Igor moved his hand, gesturing to the one garbed in blue. "This is Elizabeth. She is a resident here, like myself."

"Pleased to meet you." She said simply.

"Where...is this place exactly?" I asked in curiosity. I wasn't scared about being here for one reason or another, but it is nice to know where I am.

"This place exist between dream and reality, mind and matter." Igor explained. "It's been years since we've had guests." Then he quickly waved his hand across the table in front of him a folder appeared out of thin air. The contract that I signed the other night. "Only those who have signed the contract can enter this place. Henceforth, you shall be welcomed here in the Velvet Room. You are destined to hone your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so. I only ask one thing in return...That you abide by the contract, and assume responsibility for the choices you make."

"Taking responsibility..." I remarked. "...Nothing new to me." I smiled, wiling to accept the rule. Igor waved his hand once more making the folder disappear from sight.

"That is delightful to hear. Hold onto this..." A key appeared in front of me in a flash of blue light. I grabbed it out of the air and examined it. There was a weird mask design engrave on top of the key. I only guess that this was my ticket back in here then placed it in my pocket. "'Till we meet again." Everything slowly faded into darkness until I lost all consciousness.

Odd, yet somehow, pleasant dream.

But moving on, the next day I got to school early to request part of the guys uniform. Pants is the way to go! And no one can say otherwise! Other than getting some weird looks from the staff after making that request, nothing happened at school today. Again. Just the typical 'here some work, here some more work, and here's more work to do at home'. After school I ran into Junpei so we talked for a while before heading back home.

Once back, I did all of the homework, ate some dinner, then headed upstairs. Not much different from the usual routine. Except tonight was a full moon. I always have trouble sleeping during it, so I stayed up and drew for most of the night. And it's not like one night without sleep was gonna kill me or anything.

I also covered the camera I found the other day. I'm just waiting to see if anyone will say anything about it.

Midnight eventually rolled around and all of the lights went out. No music and now I can't see what I'm doing. Perfect.

*growl*

And I'm hungry. Bonus. I went downstairs into the kitchen to grab a bite to eat. I did so quietly just in case Yukari was up. Real or not, I don't want her going all trigger happy with her gun.

I opened the cabinet to look for something when all of a sudden the front doors were opened and slammed shut. At the same time a bunch of footsteps were coming towards the lounge. 'Uh, snap-a-hol' was my first thought. Second one was to hide under the sink. Why? I don't know anymore. I ducked under it just before Yukari could see me, who by the way was carrying a huge bow with a couple arrows. I caught of glimpse of Mitsuru and Ikutsuki behind her before they all headed to the front doors.

"Akihiko!" Mitsuru shouted as I heard her running to the door.

"I'm alright." A new voice spoke up and he definitely didn't sound alright. "Get ready for a surprise, it'll be any second." He said with enthusiasm.

"This is no time to joke around." She snapped back at him.

"It's one of them, Akihiko?" I heard Ikutsuki asked.

I'm officially called the other guy that who was talking was Akihiko. "Yes, but not an ordinary one-" Whatever was following him was now smashing itself against the side of the building. Namely the front doors.

"What the!?" Yukari shouted. "You gotta be kidding me!" The whole building kept shaking as it was being wailed by what was outside.

"Mr. Chairman, please head for the commando room!" Mitsuru order him to go, where ever that was. "Takeba, go upstairs and wake up Aselin!" I slightly panicked since I was already down there hiding under the sink from them.

"I-I'm going!" Yukari said. Just as heard her starting to run off I immediately got up from under the sink.

"W-Wait, I'm right here!" I shouted, gaining everyone's attention. They were the least to say shocked that I was standing there.

"Faye, what are you doing there!" Yukari exclaimed. I timidly shrugged now they all had their eyes on me.

"Never mind that," Mitsuru interrupted, "Aselin, you need to leave! Go with Yukari through the back door!" Mitsuru order us. And we were about to go along with it until there was banging coming from the far side of the lounge.

"H-Hey, do you think it's possible if you could explain whats going on?" I said as I starred at the back door. I turned my head towards Mitsuru. "Or better yet, let me help. I know how to fight." It's true I know how to, but I've never put it to much use before. Besides, it nice trying to help instead of cowering behind the side lines.

Mitsuru gave me a stern look before it subside. "...Very well." UNEXPECTED! But hey I can fight. Yukari more apprehensive about her decision went with it anyway. "I trust you can use sword?" Mitsuru asked, eyeing Yukari to hand over what she had in her hand.

"Here," She said handing it to me, "you're gonna need it."

"Better then nothing!" I said, gripping in my hand tightly.

Whatever has been hitting the building up to this point was back at the front doors. Ikutsuki jump before running back upstairs. Meanwhile Akihiko was trying his best to keep the doors shut. Yukari, Mitsuru and I ran up to him to help keep the doors from opening.

"So, any ideas?!" I strained, pushing against the door as much as I could. It definitely wasn't easy that's for sure. Every time they were slammed, we were pushed a few inches back inches, out feet sliding across the floor.

"Hey Mitsuru, Akihiko." Yukari spoke up. "Faye and I can keep the doors closed for a few seconds. Then maybe you guys could launch an attack when they're open and push them back."

We all glanced at each other then nodded in agreement. "So, on three?" I asked.

"Alright!" Akihiko shouted. "One... Two..."

"THREE!" Yukari and I shouted. We yanked on the doors while Akihiko and Mitsuru stepped away from them. Two gunshot sounded off then two humanoid figures came rushing pass, slamming into what was hitting the doors. Akihiko and Mitsuru ran out the door, Yukari and I following suit.

What I saw laying in the street was an abomination. It was completely black in color. Hundreds of arm were sticking out from no discernible body. A few of them were carrying what appeared to be swords. A single one holding onto a blue mask.

I quickly got back up from the previous attack then made a mad dash towards us. It stretched one of the arms carrying a sword forward, aiming right at Mitsuru. She easily parried the attack while the rest of us dodged out of the way. That when I noticed that Akihiko was carrying a gun on him. He...he's pointing it right at his skull!

"Polydeuces!" _**BANG!**_

Glass came out from the other side of his head as a towering figure appeared over him. Getting a better look at it, it's the same thing that rammed into the monster earlier. Though... the presence of it is familiar...

Polydeuces moved away from Akihiko then punched the creature away from Mitsuru. It stumbled over itself before regaining its ground. Then a few arrows were shot at the creature. It stuck onto a few of it's arms but simply bounced off its mask. The shots managed to catch its attention and it turned in our direction. It immediately started charging towards us.

"Takeba! Aselin!" Mitsuru shouted sprinting to catch up with it.

"You two need to get out of here now!" Akihiko shouted before summoning Polydeuces again. It pushed the creature aside before it could reach us, giving Yukari and I a head start. She grabbed my arm and began dragging me away.

"Come on!" Yukari shouted frantically. "We need to get away from here!"

As we kept running, I looked over my shoulder and saw the creature right behind us.

"DODGE!" I shouted, pushing off to the side while I ran to the other. It ran passed up before stopping to turn around and ram us again. As it came closer, threw my sword at the creature which ended up piercing into it's mask. It let out some sort of howl as it stumbled around in pain.

While it was distracted I ran back to Yukari to make sure she was alright. I felt a blast of wind below me and the next thing I knew, I sailing through the air. I landed on the ground, hard, scraping my hands and knees in the process.

I staggered back to my feet and see Yukari holding a gun to her head. It looked like the one she had from the first night I came to the dorm. If it works anything like Akihiko's gun, then she summon something like Polydeuces. But she wasn't pulling the trigger. She stood there shaking muttering something to herself.

The creature came closer and another blast of wind appeared beside her. It knocked the gun clean away from her hands. Then the creature came running right at me. I stood there frozen. For some reason not in fear. I was completely calm.

It came closer raising all of it's hands and swords to attack.

Then started world to slow.

_"You wish to help them?"_ It's that boy from before.

_"You know what to do. It's the same thing as before."_ He pointed to his head, his fingers in a gun like shape. _"All you have to do..._

...is pull the trigger."

* * *

So what do you think...hopefully this isn't terrible.

AND YES! THE MAIN CHARACTER IS A FEMALE! Among all of the persona finfics I've read, I haven't found that many with female-main-characters. SO YEAH! Look forward to the next chapter t(-w- )

***Edit: If you reading this for the second time, umm...sorry I guess for doing that aha...aha.../shot**

**Anyway I do hope that you like the new and improved chapter**


	2. The Third Day

C: Weeeeee new chapter...sorry it took so long for it to come out.

Many of the problems were due to internet, procrastination and other things...but oh well

ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

***Edit: Re-vamped on 6/30/13**

* * *

The blades stop a mere few inches away from my face. The creature all together stopped moving as a wicked smile crept onto my face. Blue flames began to appear, encircling me, as glass shards rose up from the flames.

_"Thou art I, and I am thou..."_ I slowly extend my arm out as I tried my hardest to all of my energy together. All of the power that was welling up inside made me fell like I could go berserk at any moment.

_"From the sea of thy soul thou cometh..."_ I pointed straight at the creature who still stood in front of me. It slowly began backing away as my power began to flow out.

_"Thy name is Chaos, Nascence of the Psyche."_ A blast of wind radiate from where I stood as familiar silhouette appeared in front of me. She slowly became more clearer as her body fully materialized.

She had a thin body frame but appeared strong. Her whatever cover her skin was completely black, her red eyes standing out as they glowed a bright red. Long pale violet that reached well passed her legs. Her clothing resembled a roman soldier except for a majority of the armor. In her hands, she held onto a long silver staff with a black blade at the end.

With a flick of the wrist, she charged forward bringing her weapon down on the creature, crushing it against the ground. Before she could strike again her body became rigid.

"Chao-AAHHHH!" I screamed, grabbing my head as tightly as I could. It felt like there was something tearing it's way inside me as it tried to come out.

Chaos howled in pain as hand ripped through her skull. Another hand came out, tearing her to pieces that vanished immediately. What took her place was a slim figure wearing mostly dark clothes. Coffins were chained together and hovering behind it's back. The head was skull shaped. And in one hand, it carried a long sword.

It lets out a roar at it drove its sword through the creature. It kept swinging the sword relentlessly, crushing the creature until it was nothing more than a black mass. Even the mask was completely shatter and ground into dust. It faded away the victor let out a howl in triumph. Turned towards me, satisfied with it's work. It flickered, changing back into Chaos before she disappeared.

My attention slowly drifted from where she stood and back to the others whole all stood there with dumbfounded and fearful expressions.

"I think it's over..." I half smiled. Without warning, my legs give out on me and I fall to the ground. I felt so exhausted now.

"Faye-san!..." Yukari suddenly next to me. I could barely make out what she was saying...

"I just...need to sleep." I mumbled before everything became black.

* * *

A piano melody played in my surroundings once more. I open my eyes to find myself seated in the Velvet Room.

"It's so nice to see you again." Igor greeted me, still seated in the same place. Elizabeth was still standing beside him like they hadn't moved. "You became unconscious after awakening to your...full potential. It is nothing to worry about, though. So just relax. As of now, you can adequately call upon your "friend". Your Persona."

"Wait, she can come out when I call her now?" I asked, sitting forward in my seat. "And what exactly is a persona anyway? Is she one of those?"

"To answer your first question. You may indeed summon Chaos, as she is a manifestation of your psyche. Though only under certain circumstances." Igor casually explained.

"Under certain circumstances? You mean when the world changes." He nodded his head in response. "And what about 'persona'?"

"There are many like Chaos that are known as Persona. A facet of your personality that surfaces as you react to external stimuli... You can think of it as a mask that protects you as you brave many hardships. That being said, you power is still weak."

"Weak..." I parroted. That is understandable. It would be wrong if I was that powerful right off the bat. "Is there a way I can become stronger?"

"When you use your Persona ability, you must channel your inner strength. The ability evolves as you develop your Social Links-your emotional ties with others."

"So...the closer I am with the people I know, the more powerful I'll become?"

Igor grinned and bowed his head. "Indeed. Now then... Time marches on in your world. I shouldn't keep you here any longer. Next time we meet, you will come of your own accord. Until then... Farewell." The room became darker once again until there was nothing but complete blackness.

* * *

I slowly crack my eyes open. White ceiling tiles laying overhead. Alright, I for sure I'm not at the dorm because the ceiling does not look like this. So, where am I exactly.

I sat up and examined the room a bit... It actually kind of looks like one of those hospital rooms. A single chair, a bookshelf on the other side of the room.

I heard a few voice coming from outside of the room. The door was pushed open and the first person to walk in was Mitsuru. She would of continued walking in if she hadn't noticed me sitting up on the bed. She stood there for a moment then smiled. "It's good to see you up, Aselin." Yukari popped up from behind her once she heard my name. She looked really happy to see me up with the way she was smiling.

Both of them walked to the side of my bed. As they got closer I felt something...emitting from them. "I'm surprised the doctors didn't notify me sooner that you were awake." Well, Mitsuru just confirmed that I am indeed at the hospital.

I rubbed my arm. "Er, actually, I just got up a few minutes ago..."

"Do you feel alright?" Yukari asked concerned.

"I don't think I'm gonna pass out anytime soon, so I think I'm okay." I replied. I didn't fell tired at all that's for sure.

"That's a relief." She sighed.

"We've been worried about you, seeing as you've slept for almost a week." My eyes went wide when Mitsuru said that. "Other than you being exhausted, the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with you."

"Geez..." I said, scratching the side of my head. "What in the world made me sleep for so long?"

"It's mostly likely due to your awakening. The power you used..." She trailed off.

"Persona." I finished. Both of them look at me in surprise when I said that one word. Mitsuru hid it better than Yukari but was surprised all the same.

"How exactly do you know about Persona?" Mitsuru immediately questioned me.

"...I...I didn't know of the term up until recently." I tried to explain. "But...I'm familiar with them. Or at least my own."

"How so?"

"...I-I've used it before..."

"Wait, hold on a second. You've used your Persona before?!" Yukari exclaimed. "You don't even have an Evoker, how is that possible?"

"I don't know...that or how it's possible I did it without the 'evoker'. She just came out..." Neither of them appeared satisfied by my answer. "Look, I'm not even sure myself how I her before, but I did." Yukari looked back and fourth between Mitsuru and I, waiting for our Senpai's decision I'm assuming.

"We'll continue our conversation back at the dorm." Mitsuru said with a stern expression. "There are other things that need to be explained. I'll notify the doctors so you can be released today."

"T-Thanks." I replied hesitantly. They both walked away from my bed side and went to the door.

"Senpai..." Yukari spoke up stopping just before leaving. " Can I talk with Faye-san for a little more?"

"Alright then." She said with a soft smile. "I'll see you back at the dorm." Then she walked out of the room, leaving us by ourselves.

Silence overtook the room since we didn't say anything for a moment. "So...where is this place exactly?" Yukari turned her head as I gained her attention.

"Oh. This place is the Tatsumi Memorial Hospital, it's a short walk from the station." That's convenient...

"And...you wanted to stay behind to talk. What about?" I asked, wrapping one of the sheet around my finger.

Yukari walked back up to my bed. "I wanted to say 'thank you' for saving me back there. And to say 'sorry' for not being able to do anything." She said solemnly, lowering her head.

"Sorry? There isn't anything to be sorry about." I smiled a bit. "And I should actually be thanking you. You did your best to protect me. I didn't do all that much."

"I know..." She sighed. "But I couldn't even summon my persona. You managed to summon yours, without an Evoker, and defeated that Shadow all by yourself..." Now I have a name for that thing...Shadow. Plain and simple.

I sat forward a bit. "You don't have to put your self down for that... I think anyone would be scared the first time."

Yukari's expression saddened a little. "You know, I'm sort of like you."

"How so?"

She waited a moment before answering. "...My dad died in an accident when I was little. And my mom and I aren't exactly on good terms... You're all alone too, right?"

"Yeah..." I leaned forward enough to cross my arms over my knees. "I've gotten used to it though..." It was kind of abrupt and depressing, bringing it up now. Both of our fathers passed away in an accident and she's not that close with her mom right now...

"To be honest, I already know about your past." I stared at her from the corner of my eye before look down at the mattress. "I-It didn't seem fair, so I wanted to tell you about my past..."

"I see..." I muttered.

She took a deep breath. "It was back in '99. There was a big explosion in the area. Supposedly, my dad died in the blast, but nobody really knows what happened..." She began starring out the window. "He was working in a lab run by the Kirijo Group. So, I'm hoping that if I stick around long enough, I'll find out something. That's why I'm going to Gekkoukan High, and why I was there when this happened to you."

I turned my head towards her. "...You're so much more involved in this than me. I just happened to be in Japan at the time and got into an accident. I leave and come back and just get in the middle of your situation..."

Yukari took a seat on the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry... You wouldn't have to go through all this if I wasn't such a coward..."

"Hey I was scared too. You don't have to keep blaming yourself."

"Thanks...but still..."

"Hey..." I interrupted. "We're both still here aren't we. Besides, now I know that there's someone I can relate to."

Yukari stared at me wide-eyed for a moment, then relaxed. "I-I guess so..." She smiled. "I should probably get going now."

"Well alright then, I'll see you at the dorm then?" I asked as she stood up from the bed.

"Yeah, see you later." She smiled then she hurried out of the room.

...Now then...where are my clothes...

* * *

Found out from the nurse that's today's the 16th. Which matches with what Mitsuru told me; I've been asleep for nearly a week now. That's. Just. Perfect. Now I have to explain why I haven't been in school for so long. Like I'm sorry, I was out cold in the hospital because I collapsed after fighting this huge thing called a Shadow with my Persona. And then there's all of that work I'm going to have to catch up on. With a weeks work of lessons I'm probably going to- "AH!"

I hear another voice as I fell flat on the ground. Awesome, I'm just running into more people now aren't I. Wait, there's that feeling again. I sit up then see the person I ran into. It's the same guy I ran into at the dorm and summon that Persona. I also happened to get a glimpse of his arm, completely bandaged up.

"Sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention." I got up from the floor then offered him a hand. "Need any help?"

He stared at me for a second. "Y-Yeah, thanks." He held onto my hand as I helped get him off the ground. "Hey, you're that girl from before. Faye, was it?"

"That's right," I smiled,"Faye Aselin. And you're Akihiko?" I asked as I let go of his hand.

"Oh, so you've already heard about me. " He sighed.

"I actually just found about you the other night. During the whole Green Out thing."

"Excuse me?"

"T-That's what I call it when the electricity goes out turns and...everything green." I explained.

"So you mean the Dark Hour?"

"Is that what you call it..." I muttered, raising my hand up to my chin. "But yeah, that's what I mean. Anyway, I've gotta head back to the dorm. Mitsuru-senpai and Yukari-san wanted to talk to me about some things..." I was about to leave before I thought of something else. "Uh, hey."

"What is it?"

"Do you to want to head back with me or are you busy?" I asked.

He stood there and thought for a moment before answering. "I've got nothing else to do here... Sure."

"Alright then."I smiled, walking ahead of him. "Let's go then."

* * *

It was kind of awkward walking back to the dorm...Neither of us really said much, so it was pretty much silent... It was times like that I wish I had my Ipod on me.

* * *

As soon as we stepped through the doors, we were greeted by Ikutsuki who immediately noticed us walking in. Mitsuru and Yukari were also seated in the lounge with him.

"It's good to see you made it back here." The chairman greeted other two turned around to see us standing at the doors. "And I see you and Akihiko are already acquainted. Please come sit down." He gestured both of us to sit at the couches. We took out place in the empty couch across from the other two. "Now, Mitsuru and Yukari have already informed me of your knowledge of Persona. So would you believe me if I said that a day consist of more than 24 hours."

"I would gladly." I deadpanned. "The whole Shadow and everything turning green is new, but I've been going through the Dark Hour since I was young."

Both Akihiko and Yukari leaned forward once I told them that information. They were a little more than surprised, but only by so much. "So you also had to grow up with the Dark Hour?" Yukari asked.

"Yeah, but I wasn't late at night like it is here. Where I lived it always happened at about 11 in the morning." Creepy as all hell might I add. I actually favor it more at night time than during the day. A black sun in the middle of a blood red sky; not fun.

"That is likely due to the different time zones." Ikutsuki interrupted. "Here, the Dark Hour occurs each midnight."

"Normal people don't realize it, since they're all sleeping inside their coffins." Akihiko commented. "But that's not what makes the Dark Hour so interesting. The Shadows only appear during the Dark Hour, and attack anyone not in a coffin. It's our job to defeat them. Sounds exciting, huh?" The more he continued speaking about it, the wider the smile on his face. He really does enjoy the whole Dark Hour.

"Akihiko!" Mitsuru snapped at him. "Why are you always like that? You just got hurt the other day!"

"Now, now." Ikutsuki intervened, calming both of them. "He does his work well." Then he returned to the main subject matter. "Long story short, we're the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad-SEES for short. On paper, were classified as a school club. But in reality, this group is dedicated to defeating the Shadows." Explains the special club he was talking about before. "Mitsuru is the leader. I'm the club adviser."

Mitsuru then took her turn to speak. "The Shadows feed on the mind of its prey; the victim becomes a living corpse. They're responsible for most of the incidents on the news, if not all of them."

"Do you mean that 'Apathy Syndrome' thing everyone keeps talking about?" I asked. I heard about it from many of the rumors floating around in school. Surprising what you can hear from a bunch of gossip.

"Indeed." Ikutsuki confirmed. "It's rare, but there are those who can function during the Dark Hour. Some, like yourself, awaken to a power that enables them to fight the Shadows, which we call 'Persona'. And the Shadows can only be defeated by Persona-users. Which means, it's all up to you guys." As he finished, Mitsuru pulled a metal suitcase from under the couch. She placed it on the table then opened it revealing its contents.

A red armband that read 'S.E.E.S.' and next to it a gun.

"What he's saying is, we want you to join us." Mitsuru said as she took back her seat. "We've prepared an Evoker for you. We'd like you to lend us your strength." I didn't hesitate in the slightest as I grabbed the gun from the case.

"Done." All of them were visibly more relaxed once I made the decision.

Yukari was the most obvious as she sighed in relief. "I was afraid you'd say no..."

"Wouldn't think it'd make the situation anymore easier if I said no. Besides, there isn't any reason not to." I smiled, reassuring her in my choice.

"Thank you so much. I'm really glad." Ikutsuki spoke up, who for some reason didn't sound that way. "Oh, I almost forgot. About your room assignment... Why don't you just stay here, in your current room? I don't know what the holdup is, but I guess it worked out in the end."

"Holdup? But wasn't that-" Yukari stopped herself from saying anything more on it. "Oh, never mind..."

"Never mind what?" I said, glaring at her.

"I-It's nothing. Really!"

"Sure it was..."

_**SHATTER**_

EH! What is this!?

A card float down from out of nowhere in front of me. It had the same design from the key to the velvet room on the face of the card. It turn over revealing a picture with person and a dog walking together.

_I am thou, and thou art I_

_Thou hast established a new bond_

_Thou shalt have out blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Fool Arcana..._

...That just happened.

"Hey, are you alright?" Yukari asked concerned.

"Wait...you didn't see..." She didn't seem to have any idea what I was talking about. "Oh never mind." That voice just now...it mentioned Persona... Maybe that was one of those Social Links when it was talking about a new bond.

* * *

"Hi, how are you?" I just slowly turn around on my bed to see the pj kid standing there.

I narrowed my eye."You." I slowly sat up before I realized something. "Wait, how did you get in my room? Last time I checked, you don't live here."

He just chuckled at my remark. "I'm always with you..."

"Are you sure about that..." I questioned. "I certainly don't see you hanging around with me 24/7."

"I'm positive." The boy said with a smile. "Oh, I just remembered something that I should tell you. Soon, the end will come."

"The end." I parroted sarcastically. "The end of what?"

"The end of everything..." He said in a saddened tone.

"If you know it's coming, could you at least explain what it is."

He shook his head. "To be honest, I don't really know what it is."

"Well that doesn't do much good..."

He shrugged. "But I digress. By the looks of it, you've fully awakened to your power...and an unusual power it is. A power that takes many forms, yet is bound by none... It may prove to be your salvation, depending on where you end up." He vanished from my bed side then appeared at the far end. "Do you remember when we first met?" He asked casually.

"Yeah, how could I forget." I responded sarcastically. "A kid in jail pj's hand me a folder and say 'Here, sign this contract'."

He giggled at my comment. "That's right." Then he began to act more serious. "I expect you will honor your commitment. I'll be watching you, even if you forget about me... Okay then, see you later." He waved before vanishing into the shadows.

But fantastic, I now have pj boy constantly watching over me like and angel that's not a angel. Awesome. Now back to sleep!

* * *

The third day of school is finally over. And I had so. Much. Work! Gosh darn it! This is why I hate missing school. One day is okay...once in a while, but a whole week. I'm just glad that the teachers already had an excuse for why I was gone for so long. Thank you Mitsuru-senpai.

Suddenly I have this funny feeling again. "Long time so see Faye-tan. You remember me right?"

I look up from my desk and see Junpei standing by my desk. "Yeah, I do. Hat-kun, right?"

"Hey, the hat can't be all that you remember." He said, fiddling with the cap on his head.

"I can be, unless you drop the -tan."

"Alright..." He stood there, stuffing his hand in his pocket while thinking. "How's Faye-san."

"That's better Junpei-kun." I smiled. I got up from my seat grabbing some of my stuff.

"But man, transferrin' in only to take a week off. I need to learn from you, huh?"

"Yeah, unless you want the mountains of homework." I said, opening my backpack to show all of the papers I had in there.

"I'm good!" Junpei raised up his hands in defense. "Anyway, mind hanging out with me this?"

I stopped putting my things away to look up at him. "Huh?"

"You haven't been able to hang out with anyone, right?... And this way we can get to know each other more."

"Hmm, seems legit..." I mutter. "Welp," I slung my backpack over my shoulder, "my homework will just have to wait a little longer. Do you have a place in mind?"

A huge smile worked its way onto Junpei's face. "Alright, now you're talkin'."

He practically dragged all the way across Iwatodai and down to this strip mall, Paulownia. Nice name. Though it was somewhat crowded there. I'm guessing that everyone decided to come here as soon as school was out. Not a bad idea, but still. Anyway, the Junpei and I pushed our way through then headed over to a restaurant called Hagakure Ramen.

HMMM, I wonder what they serve here?

The place was just as full as the rest of the mall, bit we managed to get some seats right at the counter. It was awesome how they didn't have a waiting line here.

"Umm... Alright! We'll have two specials."

"Two specials? Isn't that a bit much?" I asked.

"Hey, the normal meals are good too, but the specials...Pure. Awesome."

"M'kay, if you say so." I said, readjusting myself in my seat.

It wasn't that long before the waiter brought the dishes and placed it in front of us. The steam coming from the bowl smelled heavenly, which reminded me I was starving. Running across town can put a lot out of you. But I wasn't about to put any of it in my mouth yet. Over the years I learned not to judge food by its smell. It can have the be fragrance ever, but taste like the worst thing on the planet.

*growl*

But my stomach said otherwise.

"If you're hungry then you should try it..." Junpei insisted. Took up my pair chopsticks then slowly pick up a few pieces of the ramen. "Go on." He kept insisting with a huge grin on his face.

I sighed then put it my mouth. My eyes went wide once I got a taste of it. All the spices blended together, yet you could taste each individual one. It was spicy, but not hot enough to burn your mouth. "Good God man, this is the best ramen I've ever had!"

"I told ya'." Junpei also pick up his chopstick from the counter. "Well then, I'm digging in too. Chow time!" Both of us practically devoured the food in our bowls.

Junpei wasn't so lucky since his food had been cooking longer. "Ahh, hot hot hot...Man, this is great."

"Hey," I said before picking up anymore ramen, "I'm just as hungry as you. Take your time and blow on the stuff."

After our bowls were cleared Junpei began talking again. "Hey...do you feel okay now? I heard that while you were out for a while, you were in the hospital."

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine now." I sarcastically replied, patting my stomach at the same time.

"Ya' sure? You seemed full of energy at school...but I was kind of worried."

"So, that's the reason...," I leaned forward, placing my elbows on the counter top, "I was wondering why you asked me to hang out with you all of a sudden."

"Huh? Oh, um...well, yeah!" He started getting a little flustered.

"Heh, thanks." I smiled.

"No need to thank me..." Junpei also rested his arms on the counter. "I had some problems myself when I transferred here too. But coming all the way from America, It must of been rough. I was wondering if you weren't accustomed to school or whatever..."

"Well besides the whole 'I have school on Saturday' now, it's not so bad." I shrugged. But it was a shock to find out I was going to Japan for my last two years of high school. No one had said anything about and apparently this entire time it was written on my parent's will. All of it just coming at me in a single day. "Thanks for looking out for me." I lightly punched his shoulder.

"Hey, what was that for?" Junpei half laughed as he rubbed the spot where I hit him.

"That? It's just something I do around friends." He stared at me for a second when I said that. Then the surprised look on his face went away, replaced by a smile while he readjusted his hat.

Yukari, you gave off such a bad impression on Junpei!

_**SHATTER**_

Again with the thing!

_Am thou, and thou art I_

_Thou hast established a new bond_

_Thou shalt have out blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Magician Arcana..._

Magician, I wonder if these arcana's are a thing. Maybe I could google it later.

"Hey," Junpei interrupted me mid-thought, "I also heard that you're living at a guys and girls dorm. That can't be good." He smiled sinisterly.

I placed my hand on his shoulder while I shook my head. "Junpei-kun, my friend, you can only dream of living there. Now stop smirking like that."

"Aww, I can't help it." He complained. "I can't guarantee that I won't fall for somebody, mwahaha!" We both looked with goofy expressions before busting out laughing. We talked for while longer, then once it started getting late we decided to head home. We took our separate ways at the front of the mall and I walked back to the dorm by myself.

When I get there, I see Akihiko is sitting in the lounge by himself watching on tv.

"Hi..." I said quietly.

He glanced at me before returning his attention back to the screen. "Hey..."

"So...what'cha watching?" I asked.

"I was just checking out some stuff on the news..." He trailed off. It didn't look like he wanted to be bothered. I walked across the lounge then started making my way upstairs. "Hey," He called, gaining my attention, "have you summoned your Persona yet?"

I stopped and looked at him midway up the stairs. "Huh?"

"Have you tried summoning yet..." Akihiko repeated. "I know you did before, but can you do it again?"

I thought for a moment. "I'm not sure... I haven't tried yet since."

Akihiko muttered something to himself before he turned his attention back to me. "I was going to head out tonight; during the Dark Hour. You think you'll want to tag along?"

"Sure, I guess... If that's really okay with you."

"Alright then." He smiled, standing up from his seat. "I'm going to go grab a few things from upstairs. I'll be right back." Then he rushed past me and went upstairs.

So much for putting my homework on hold.

* * *

We left the dorm and walked to the place I was at earlier. Paulownia Mall...is everything we need just here or something? But this time we didn't go into Hagakura; instead went over to the police station. Why, I don't know.

Inside there was a very intimidating police man. Very stern looking. "This is Officer Kurosawa." Akihiko said, introducing the man. "He helps keep our squad well equipped." Like weapon's equipped? Akihiko gestured towards me. "And this is Faye-san, she's the one that I was talking about before."

"Hello..." I waved. Kurosawa just bowed his head.

Then Akihiko pull out some yen from his pocket and handed it to me. "Here take this." I shuffle through the money to see how much there was... He just gave me 5000 yen!

"W-What's this for exactly?" I asked frantically. It's not a lot, but I don't mind know why he just gave me free money.

"You can't fight empty-handed, so go ahead and find something you like. Officer Kurosawa has connections... But, these things still cost money." Akihiko casually explained.

"Of course they do." Kurosawa commented. "Nothing in life is free."

"That's true." I mumbled.

"Well, I'll be waiting outside, let me know when you done." Then Akihiko walked out of the station.

After a little bit of careful selection and destroying of some supplies later, I got my weapon. A custom 2 foot Naginata with a metal ring attached to the end of the handle... I personally like weapons that are short enough that can move them around easily.

"W-Was everything alright in there." Akihiko asked, a bit more than worried about what went on in the station.

"Yeah..." I held up my wrapped Niginata. "I got my weapon."

Neither of us spoke after that...

Note to self; in the future, ask for a custom weapon.

* * *

Stupid alarm! The thing was blaring in my ear in the middle of the night. Right underneath my pillow. What time is it anyway?...

11:40 pm...Wait, I don't remember setting alarm for this time.

Did I not lock my Ipod?...

Regardless, I get out of bed and put on my school uniform. Also grabbed my Naginata and Evoker from the closet. I should get a holster for this thing or something, unless everyone fights with the gun still in their hand; which I would have to complement, they are very skilled.

I go downstairs and I see Mitsuru sitting there in the lounge.

"H-Hey Mitsuru-senpai." I said. I wonder why she's here. Then I noticed the holster and belt that she's holding in her hands.

"Hello Aselin." She spoke up once she saw coming towards her. "Akihiko has already informed that you will be accompanying him tonight." She stood up from her seat and handed me the holster. "I trust that you won't let him do anything reckless."

I quickly shook my head. She smiled knowing I agreed to keep an eye on him then headed back upstairs.

Alright, it's the Dark Hour now and he still isn't down here. What's taking him so long?

I pulled out my Evoker to examine it. Iron plating with 'S.E.E.S.' engraved on the side, and right below it also had my name engraved on it. I've have to hand it to them, it looks like a real gun; one of those semi-automatic pistols.

And I'm suppose to shoot my self with this?

I point it at one of the windows and pull the trigger, making a sound like I was actually firing a gun. And it isn't loaded which is good, otherwise they would I needed to order a new window. I stare at the gun again, looking at from different angles. How's this suppose to bring out my Persona.

I get up and go outside of the dorm. I take a look quick around, making sure there weren't any Shadows'. I walk a little ways from the building... I really hope I don't look stupid doing this.

"CHAOS!" Only the sound of my voice echoes through the streets. "Persona!"...One more time!

"Summo- Okay, forget it..." So I can't just call her. So much for fully awakening to my 'boundless' power. I sighed, maybe this is one of those certain circumstances Igor was talking about. I glance at my evoker before putting it up to my temple "All I have to do is pull the trigger, huh."

_**BANG**_

It was certainly shocking hearing that in my ear, but I wasn't scared. I noticed some purple in the corner of my eye then look up to see Chaos hovering above me. "So this is how I have to summon you." I asked. She simply nodded then disappeared in a blue glow.

"Good job." I turn around and see Akihiko leaning against the front doors.

"Uh...How long where you standing there?"

"Enough to see your Persona." He walked down the steps and onto the sidewalk. "Come on, let's get going."

* * *

Less exciting than I thought it would be, but I guess that would be a good thing. Less Shadows equals less Apathy Syndrome people as Akihiko explained to me. He also told more about the Shadows', how they normally stay in this place called Tartarus. This massive tower filled with those things. Though I clearly remember from mythology that Tartarus is suppose to be a huge pit in the bottom of the Underworld. So much for accuracy.

We jogged by the strip mall when I started to hear something coming from one of the stores... Is someone crying? "Senpai, do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" He asked, stopping in his tracks.

"I think there someone crying over there." I listen out for the voice before running in the direction of the sound.

"Hey, wait up." He called out from behind.

The source of it came from inside one of the convenience store. I push the door and walk in, Akihiko came up from behind me a few moments later. "Hello! Anyone here?!"

"H-Huh, who's there!?" Unless it's just me...

I turned to Akihiko who was a little more reluctant coming into the store. "I think I know who it is..." I sighed.

"Alright. Be careful." I walked passed a couple aisles to the other end of the store. There were a good amount of coffins in here, so it was hard to maneuver around. Getting closer to the source that funny feeling starts up..."Junpei, you there?" Then something slammed into me from behind.

"FAYE-SAN! IT'S YOU!" He shouted, grabbing onto as tight as he could.

And I had to be right. "Now Junpei, I know you must be really happy right now to see me. But can you please get off!"

"O-Oh right, sorry." He slowly got up, giving me something breathing room.

"So...been here long?"

"Too long! What the hell is goin' on. I just came here to buy some stuff and suddenly, Poof! Coffins everywhere." He stopped before looking back at me. "Do you have any clue what's happenin'?"

"I've got a friend outside that can help me explain all of this." And this my friend...is gonna take a while.

* * *

:D Eh?...you like

If so then yay!

If not then oh well. See ya next chapter t(-w- )

***Edit: Also, I have an offical design for Chaos, if you want to see it there's going to be a link on my profile page**


	3. Entering the Garden of Worldliness

Sorry for the long wait... again. This time it was pretty much my own fault with procrastinating and working on other personal projects.

ANYWAY!

New Chapter A-Go-Go!

***Edit: Re-vamped on 6/30/13**

* * *

You know, when they talked about the Dark Hour, there clearly wasn't enough emphasis on 'Hour'. Actually, it's more of an understatement. I'm not sure if it was just me, but it seems like it lasts a whole lot longer than it did during the day.

All that sleep you can get if you just sleep during all of that.

But it's really must suck if you don't have a Persona, because then you can forget about doing anything outside a this time. But lo and behold, Junpei's now going through Dark Hour too! Ends up having a Persona, which I have to admit looks really cool. Black outfit with golden armor over his legs and fore arms. There's also and golden helmet with some metal parts that looked kind of like wings, and an actually set of wings that were attached to his forearms and the back of his legs. And I just assumed it was a he since the name of the Persona was Hermes, from what I can remember he's some sort of messenger.

Luckily is was easy to find out that he had one, instead of running all the way back to the dorm to figure it out. But even after explaining everything to him, it's still hard to tell someone 'Hey, shoot yourself in the head to see if you have a magical being inside you.'

* * *

_"The hell Faye-san! You could of killed me you know!" Junpei yelled._

_"Yes, if this were an actual gun." I pulled the Evoker away from his head and placed it back in my holster._

_"Effective, but it was completely uncalled for." Akihiko commented._

_"Well it worked, didn't it!" I huffed before glancing up. "And you might wanna look up." Both of them followed my advice and saw the dark figure hovering above Junpei's head._

_"I-Is this..." Junpei trailed off, gaping at the figure above him._

_"Yep, your Persona." I grinned, crossing my arms over my chest. "I'm sure you and Hermes will get along just fine."_

_Both of them stared at me when I said that name. "Faye-san, how did you know his name?" Junpei asked._

_I was about to answer until I realized I didn't know. I stood there with my mouth opened for a second before closing it. "Tell you the truth, I don't know... Maybe it was a lucky guess." I questioned._

_"You're crazy."_

_"Yeah, I get that a lot."_

* * *

In the end it was funny that I ended up shooting the gun, even after knowing that the Evoker wasn't real and or loaded. Though it still unnerving how I knew the name of Junpei's Persona. Just a little... I wonder if Junpei slipped it out the name and I just unconsciously heard it... Or...did I really know the name of his Persona. With all the strange things that had been going on in my life, I wouldn't be surprise if that was the case. Even the weird things that happen to me weren't considered normal; the way I summoned my Persona, the fact that I've used my Persona before... And then there's the odd feeling I get when I'm around the others.

How I would love to find out what in the world it's suppose to be... Maybe I could tell them and ask their opinion...noooo, they would probably give me weird looks as usu-

"Hey Faye-san!" And here returns Junpei to the side of my desk with the biggest grin on his face.

"Hey, uh...I see your ready to go." He already had all of his things together which is something rare to see. At least with as long as I've seen him.

"Oh yeah! Today's the day! I can't wait till we get to the dorm!" Junpei spoke with excitement.

"Alright then," I sighed, grabbing my papers then dropping them in my backpack, "let's get going, the sooner we get you stuff..."

"The better!"

* * *

It took a lot longer than planned to get his luggage for whatever reason. There wasn't a lot mind you, but they were all really heavy. And it was kind of surprising that he didn't have that much and he lived in such a big apartment.

Junpei didn't say much, he looked more than happy to leave the place. Bad times... I don't know. I didn't want to pry in so didn't say anything. Maybe I could ask him another time.

* * *

Thankfully we made it back to the dorm without much trouble. I pulled one of the front doors and stepped inside. Yukari and Akihiko were both sitting on the couch.

"Hey Akihiko-senpai, Yukari-san." I said, gaining both of their attention.

"Oh Faye-san," Yukari waved, "welcome...back. Er, what's with the luggage?" Oh fantastic, she doesn't know.

"...About that-"

"Come on Faye-san, stop stallin'." Junpei strained from behind me. "I can't carry these forever, they're freakin' heavy!" I sighed, dropping the bags I was holding to go help Junpei. I glanced back at Yukari and saw she was more than surprised to hear his voice. And even more so when she saw the guy, she literally jumped out of her seat once her eyes landed on Junpei. "Wazzup?"

"J-Junpei!?...Why are you here!?"

"You know him?" Akihiko asked.

"Junpei-kun is in the same class as Yukari-san and I." I answered. "And he has...you know."

Yukari's eyes went even wider. "You have the potential!? For real!?"

"We bumped into him the other night," Akihiko explained as he walked up to us, " he just awakened to it recently. We told him about us, and he agreed to help."

"They found me cryin' like a baby at the convenience store, surrounded by a bunch of coffins." Junpei said casually. "I don't remember much, except that she," he jerked his thumb at me "shot me in the head... Man, that's embarrassing!" He laughed. The one thing he remembers is being shot, not something you normally laugh about afterwards. "Senpai here said that's, ya know, completely normal bein' confused and not able to remember anything... Did you guys know that?"

"...Sure it is." I muttered in a slight sarcastic tone.

"Oh...that's good. You should, since you're a Persona-user... But man, I was shocked to find out about you guys. I'm glad I'm not the only one. It could get kinda lonely, ya know. I bet you're stoked too, right!? Havin'me join..."

"Huh? Uh, y-yeah..." Yukari responded, not impressed by him what so ever.

"Well, enough with the introductions. I think we're about ready..." Akihiko spoke up.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Ooh, we're gonna do something? Sweetness!" ...Not even 5 minutes yet and Junpei is already pumped up.

"With this many people, we can start exploring that place." Akihiko muttered.

"You mean...Tartarus...?" Yukari and I said the last part in unison. And that definitely what he's talking about with that look in his eye when we said the name.

"Tartarus...? What's that?...Sounds like toothpaste." Junpei asked as I managed to hold back a face palm. How in the world did he forget it! Akihiko and I explained it all to him the other...oh right, Junpei said he forgot most of what happened.

"Junpei," I sighed, "It's that big tower Senpai was talking about before." He gave me this 'o' look but I had a feeling he still didn't know what I was talking about.

"We believe we can find the reason for the Dark Hour there." Akihiko commented.

"I hope so..." Yukari said quietly.

"The Chairman will give us the details in a few days, so be ready."

We all just stood there for a moment before I brought our attention to a certain thing. "I guess since that's settled, mind helping us bring this guys luggage upstairs."

* * *

Nothing but gossiping. Fore the past two days. Can no one really come up with anything to talk about beside other people. Yes, there are some things you might wanna get off your chest, but seriously talk about something more exciting. That or just refrain from spreading rumors about people. Maybe just people, because I did hear there's going to be an assembly the next day. If that's case, I might listen in. I like being prepare for boring, hour long assembly's.

"Faye-san, how's it hangin'?" Again, interrupting thoughts Junpei. Oh well.

"Eh, alright. I'd like to be less tired." I replied. I was still in my seat with my arms stretched across the desk. I always do that every time break comes along. Why...I don't know... Habits.

"I thought I was gonna fall asleep in there..." Yukari yawned while walking over to my seat. I seem to be the gathering point in the little group of our. And speaking of, the doors were just pushed open revealing Mitsuru who also joined in the little gathering. Though it's probably for something important.

"Can I have a minute?" She asked, not waiting a single moment for one of us to answer. "Come to the lounge this evening. I have something to tell everyone." And whatever was all so important was going to be told later.

"Oh are we having that talk?" And it couldn't be more obvious, now could it Junpei.

"I'll save the details for later. See you there." And as quickly as Mitsuru came in, she left.

"Well, she was in a hurry..." I commented, getting up from my chair.

"She's probably busy with things like Student Council, unlike us." Yukari grimaced.

Junpei slowly turned his head, staring straight at her. "Whoa, Yuka-tan! Do I sense some hostility?"

"Well, it's not that I don't like her... She's just..." Yukari stood there trying to think of a way to say what she was trying to say. "Never mind then...Let's go get some lunch, I'm starving."

"Me too... Any clue what's for lunch?" I asked. "So far I've only packed."

* * *

It was the end of the day and Yukari had immediately left school. Junpei and I were left behind so we made our way back ourselves. "So, what do you think Senpai wants to talk about?" He asked.

"You're still on that." I asked, surprised by the question. "It probably ha-"

"Look, it's Akihiko-senpai!" A shrill voice came from behind us. A huge group of girls standing by the entrance to the school rushing passed us and towards the gate. If my guess was right, it looked like they were heading straight for Akihiko, who was casually walking. "Wait for us!" Another girl shouted from within the crowd. I stepped at bit to the side, out of annoyance from those kinds of people.

"Man, would you look at that?" Junpei said in awe. "I hear they're always swarmin' Akihiko-senpai like that."

"Really?! Gosh, I feel sorry for the guy." I sighed.

"Sorry?! Why would you feel sorry. I'd think it'd be pretty cool to have a flock of girls followin' me around."

"Personally, I'd be irritated 'till no end." I deadpanned. Junpei just shrugged, not having anymore comments on the subject.

"Hey!" A voice called out from ahead of us. Turns out it was Akihiko. "Are you guys free this afternoon?" He asked, walking up to Junpei and I.

"Huh? Who, us?" Junpei asked dumbfounded. I don't think he completely got what Akihiko was asking for but glanced at each other, silently agreeing before turning back to Senpai. "I guess so."

"I want the two of you to meet me at Paulownia Mall. You know where it is right?" We nodded. "I'll be the Police Station."

"Th-The police station? What for?" Junpei asked, proving he had no clue what was going on.

"I'm sure Faye-san can explain." Akihiko quickly spoke up. "Anyway, I'm gonna head out. Don't keep me waiting." Then he turned around ran to the school gates. Many sighs came from the groupie that failed to keep up with him, but just a quickly they all started squealing again.

Sometimes I really can't understand my own gender.

"Anyway...why do we have to go to the police station?" Junpei asked, bringing my attention back to him.

"Right... We're going to get you a weapon." I deadpanned.

"Huh? Why do- WHOA!"

Before he finished his question, I started dragging him by the collar. "I'll tell ya' on the way."

* * *

Once we arrived at the station Akihiko immediately introduced Junpei to Officer Kurosawa. Though once he saw me again there was an odd sort of tension in the room... He still hasn't forgotten what happened. Anyway, like last time, Senpai gave Junpei 5,000 yen to spend on weapons or armor he could afford. Akihiko left the station to do his own thing while we were left in the station to browse for stuff. I didn't really bother looking at anything so I just ordered for another custom weapon.

Once with both of us left the station, Junpei let out a scowl. "Pshh, only 5,000 yen..."

"At least you got a Katana." I replied, fiddling with my jacket buttons.

He shrugged. "It'd of been awesome if I had more yen, then I could get the real thing."

"What, that's not a real Katana?" I questioned.

"Nah, just a fake, but just as good." He said, waving around the sheathed blade.

The conversation continued from there as we made our way back to the dorm. Apparently he was in kendo before he came to Iwatodai which explains why he could tell the blade was fake. It also shows my lack of knowledge of weaponry, kind of saddening. Oh well.

Later on in the evening, everyone at the dorm, including the chairman, were in so called 'command room' on the top-most floor. Akihiko, Junpei and I were sitting on stools while Mitsuru and Yukari were on the couch. Ikutsuki sat in a chair in the big chair, all high and mighty and mehhh...

"Now that everybody's here, I'd like your undivided attention." Ikutsuki began, making me stop spinning my chair around. "For a long time, Mitsuru and Akihiko were the only Persona-users we had. But, that number has recently jumped to five. Therefore, starting tonight at 12:00 A.M., I'd like to commence the exploration of Tartarus."

"Sorry...," Junpei raise his hand, "I asked this before, but what's this Tartarus thing again."

"Honestly..." I sighed. "Tartarus is that big tower that Akihiko and I were talking about. Wait," I narrowed my eyes, "have you even seen it yet?"

"Hm...?" He shrugged.

"It's no surprise since it only appears during the Dark Hour." Iktsuki commented.

"Just like the Shadows..." Akihiko trailed off. "Interesting, huh? And it's the perfect place for us to train. You can think of it as a Shadow nest." And he looks more than excited to go to a place like that.

"Whoa...," Junpei stared at him wide-eyed, "their nest, huh?"

"But, Senpai...what about your injury." Yukari questioned, bringing attention to Akihiko's arm. It was still bandaged up and everything so it's doubtful he'll get to fight.

"Since Akihiko hasn't fully recovered yet," Mitsuru said in a stern voice, "he'll only come as far as the entrance." And turn out he won't be able to do anything.

"Yeah, I know." He mumbled, annoyed with the decision.

"Well, I'm sure he won't complain," Ikutsuki interrupted, "as long as you don't go too far in." But it's already too late for that. He already upset he won't be exploring. "Since we're dealing with Shadows, Tartarus isn't something we can avoid."

"Relax, I've got your backs." Junpei declared as he stood up from his seat, pointing his thumb at his chest.

"Are you sure that "the one guy" can really cover an entire group?" I asked, leaning enough to rest my elbow on the counter.

"Yeah, I'm not so sure about this..." Yukari said nervously.

"And what about you Mr. Chairman?" Mitsuru inquired.

"I'll stay here. As you know, I can't summon a Persona..."

...Sucks to be you Mister. Chair-guy.

After getting our equipment, everyone, minus Ikutsuki, left the dorm. Akihiko and Mitsuru lead us to the train station and explained that it would take us to where Tartarus would appear. Turns out that the place was near our school. Now I'm no expert, but isn't it of slight concern that a Shadow nest appears at midnight near a place of learning. If not then I'm probably be crazy, which very well might be the case.

"This is it? THIS is the place?" Junpei said, slack-jawed once he realized we were walking up to the gates of the school.

"Junpei, if this wasn't the place...why in the world would we be here?" I argued with him.

"Uh, good point there." He scratch the back of his head.

We stood there for about a minute before the Dark Hour rolled around, everything turning green and the moon its' sickly yellow. I looked around to see if the tower showed up... Turns out it wasn't insta-

Loud rumbling came from beyond the school gates. I stared at the building as pieces of it were pulled apart. From underneath more building kept appearing, all of the randomized parts stacked on top each other. It looked physically impossible but the whole tower stayed upright, reaching so far up I don't think I could even see the top.

This is what I saw in the distance when with Akihiko after we found Junpei, the impossible tower that's larger than life.

"This is Tartarus-the labyrinth that reveals itself during the Dark Hour." Mitsuru calmly explained.

"Labyrinth...?" Junpei parroted. "What are you talking about!? What happened to our school!?"

"I would imagine it'd go back to normal after the Dark Hour..." I muttered to myself.

"This place is the "nest" you guys were talking about!? But why!?" He stared at Mitsuru. "...Why'd our school turn into a giant tower!?" She shifted her stance and stood there in silence, completely avoiding eye contact. "You don't know either?"

"...No." She said in a hushed tone.

Akihiko then decided change the subject. "Well, maybe now we'll find out. Mitsuru and I have only gone in to take a peek; this will be our first time exploring it. Exciting, isn't it?"

I noticed he was staring at the tower. "Probably more for you than the rest of us." I commented. "But like Mitsuru mentioned before, can't go exploring until that arm's healed."

"I know... You don't have to keep reminding me."

We pushed the gates apart and headed inside to what was once our school. Now, the outside was pretty weird, but indoors. Hoo boy!

"Whoa...It's just as cool on the inside..." Junpei stared in awe.

"But, it sure is creepy..."

"Yukari-san, I'm not sure if creepy can even begin to describe this." There were no walls for one thing. The floor above us was only supported by a couple of pillars here in the...lobby I'll call this. And where it was devoid of wall were pieces of building floating in some green fog. And right in the center of the room was a set of stairs leading up to giant, old-fashion golden clock. Plus and random bike by the stairs... Why?

"This is only the entrance." Mitsuru spoke up. "The labyrinth lies beyond that doorway at the top of the stairs." And the clock is also the doorway! Who would of guessed!?

"First, we'll have you three get a feel for this place." Akihiko explained. "Why don't you go have a look around?"

"What!? By ourselves!?" Yukari exclaimed, clearly nervous about exploring the place.

"We're not asking you to go very far, and I'll be feeding you information from here." Mitsuru stated as she walked over to the bike by the stairs.

"So, you two didn't plan on coming in the first place?" Junpei asked. And I'd hardly think they did it on purpose. Besides Akihiko, it seems more like Mitsuru had to stay down here just in case.

"More or less." Akihiko said bluntly. "We're also going to appoint a leader to make any necessary decisions."

"For real?...One of us?" Junpei started getting all giddy and waved one his arms in the air. "Oh! Oh! Me me me! Pick me!" Akihiko completely ignored him and-

"Faye-san, You're in charge."

"R-Really!?" After the little episode with Chaos, I wasn't expecting to be picked for that.

"Wha...?" Junpei stood their in shock. "B-But she's a girl!"

"Hey! Just because I'm a certain gender, don't mean I can't do a specific task!"

"And she HAS fought them before..." Yukari interrupted, bringing up a...good point I guess.

"Seriously?"

"Yes! An-...wait." I stared at Yukari. "I thought you fought them before?" She shook her head, indicating she's actually never fought Shadows before.

"That's true, but there's another reason." Akihiko stared at them. "You two..." He pulls out his evoker, pointing it at his head. "Can you summon your Persona without any difficulties, like she can?" That's right, he saw me summon Chaos the other day.

"I think so." Yukari said quietly.

"C-Can't Faye-san do it for me, like before? I mean, it worked just fine the first time."

"And what if she isn't near you when you in danger." Junpei opened his mouth but closed it again, not able to come up with an argument. "These are Shadows we're talking about here. They won't hesitate to attack you. Without your Persona, you're screwed." This is really serious then... It feels like we just got drafted for war, minus the whole boot camp. "So, are you all ready?"

The three of us glanced at each other then nodded. "Yeah." They all walked up the stairs at the same time I noticed a blue door on the other side of the lobby.

"Faye-san, is there something wrong?" Yukari asked, half way up.

"Uh...Yeah, just hand on for a second." Half-ignoring her question I went up and examined the door. Looking at it closely, the design on the door reminded me the Velvet Room Key. It was glowing in my pocket, so I took it out and placed it in the key hole and opened the door.

The melody played in my ears once more along with Igor and Elizabeth, still in the same place as the last two times. "I've been waiting for you." Igor greeted me. "The time has come for you to wield your power. The tower that you are about the venture into... How did it come to be? For what purpose does it exist? Regrettably, you are not yet capable of answering these questions."

"Alright... But you said 'wield my power', exactly what do you mean?" I inquired. I was sure he didn't mean Chaos, that or Igor's just being really cryptic.

He grinned in response. "Your power is unique. It's like the number zero... It's empty, but at the same time-

"Holds infinite possibilities." I interrupted him. The boy told me the same thing.

"...Precisely. You are able to posses multiple Personas and summon them as needed. And when you have defeated your enemies, you will see the faces of possibilities before you. There may be times when they are difficult to grasp... But, do not fear. Seize what you have earned." The way your speaking is making it difficult to grasp. "Your power will grow accordingly. Be sure to keep that in mind." The Social Links... "My spare time will soon be scarce. But, please come again of your own accord. I'll tell you then my true role..."

"You're 'true role?'"

"It is the manner in which I can best assist you." I would be kind of nice if you could instead tell me now..."Until then...Farewell." There was a flash of white light and then I found myself standing outside of the door again.

"Hey, are you alright?" Yukari tapped my shoulder trying to get my attention. Junpei was standing there too, both with a look of concern.

"Yeah, what's up?" He asked. "You look like a zombie."

"Really? Do I really look like a zombie to you?" I huffed, putting my hands on my hips, which I mentally noted on never doing again. "And I perfectly fine thank you very much. I just went in through here and found out how..." I stopped once I noticed they had no clue what I was talking about.

"Are you sure your alright?" Junpei asked, more worried than before.

"Yes, yes...well I'm as good as I ever will be." I began making my way towards the stairs. "C' mon, let's get this started." I stopped for a second and stared at Yukari, but then continued walking immediately after no one noticed.

If I'm right then her Persona's name is Io. A priestess of some sorts in Greek mythology.

* * *

Before going in, Mitsuru explained pretty much everything about attacking strategies, which can be summed up as basic RPG logic. She also handed us some small headsets; this is how she's suppose to communicate with us.

Now, it seems like Tartarus loves making everything look weird. Normal-ish looking hallways with eerie green wallpaper with the occasional splash blood here and there. Yep, just weird.

"So, this is it, huh...?" Junpei said, holding he Katana like it was a bat.

"I hope I don't get lost..." Yukari muttered. She was using the same bow and arrows she had the other night.

_"Can you all hear me?"_ Mitsuru voice just blared in my ears, making me flinch.

"Oh yeah! Just fine!" I replied, the ringing still in my ears. "Uh, could you turn it down a bit?"

"Whoa! Is that you, Senpai?" Junpei asked in amazement.

_"I'll be providing audio backup from here on out."_ She stated.

"Wait...ya' mean, you can see inside here?"

_"It's my Persona's ability. I'd like to join you, but as I explained before..." _She trailed off.

"It changes from day to day." I finished.

_"Yes, that's why outside support is imperative."_

"That still bothers me, how this place can do that." Yukari mumbled to herself.

"It IS called a labyrinth for a reason." I said in a 'matter of fact' tone. "At least the changes are only from daily instead of second by second."

"...I guess you're right..." She sighed

_"Now,"_ Mitsuru began, _"based on your current location, you can expect to encounter enemies at any minute. They shouldn't be too tough, but proceed with caution. Practice makes perfect."_ So is not dying.

"Right!"

"Kay!"

"Got it." And the noise from the headset went away. Yukari muttered something to herself but I didn't most of it.

It was silent as we moved down each corridor, empty and devoid of anything. The closest thing to enemies we found so far were a few treasure chests. For whatever reason they were filled with medicine and yen.

Nothing shall be normal ever again.

Going around another corner, Mitsuru's voice started blaring in my ear again. _"Watch out! I detect a Shadow's in front of you!"_

"I see them Senpai." I whispered loudly.

_"Move in and hit it before it attacks you."_

"Got'cha." I looked back at Yukari and Junpei. "Guys ready for your first fight?"

"Yeah! Let's do this!" Junpei was just loud enough to draw the Shadows attention. Without thinking, I slammed my weapon down on the Shadow that approached first. I back off before it's allies could get a hit on me. "Now would be a good time to start fighting back!" No second words were spoken as Yukari shot an arrow past me, hitting one of the Shadows. Junpei came up from the other side rushing to one to one with the arrow impaled on its mask. He slammed his sword down on, cracking the mask it in the process. Yukari shot a few more arrows, some of them off target, before killing it.

Meanwhile I was going back and fourth with another Shadow, blocking its attacks while I kept backing up. It kept going until it managed land an attack, then I decided it was time to call someone. I pulled out my Evoker and pointed it at my skull.

"Cleave!"

_**BANG**_

Chaos materialized overhead and immediately charged at the Shadow. She slashed downwards, obliterating it. The she disappeared. The third Shadow came up from behind me and managed to scratch my leg. "OW! Stupid thing!" I stomped on it with the heel of my foot then slashed at its mask. A few arrows were inbeaded in its body. Junpei came from the side and slammed his katana down on it. The Shadow dissipated into nothing.

"Heh, well...that wasn't so hard." I commented, swinging my weapon over my shoulder.

"We can deal with these Shadows with out our Persona's." Junpei boasted.

"But you have to admit, they make the fight easier. Chaos even managed to get a K.O. on one of Shadows..." I paused for a second. "Speaking of that...did either of you try to summon?" They both went silent, avoiding eye contact me. "Alright then. Next fight, you two are summoning." I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest before looking at Yukari. "Besides I'd like to see Io for myself."

"Huh? Io?" Yukari questioned.

"Ohhh, you'll find out." I said as I started walking ahead.

We came across a stair case which I guess headed up to the next floor.

_"There should be a staircase nearby. Do you see it?"_ Senpai said over the transceiver.

"Yeah, it's inside a big room too." I replied, sticking my head in to look around.

_"A staircase is the only way to proceed to the next floor."_ That's normal stair logic..._"I can't allow you to go any higher today, but please remember about it next time."_

"Alright then." I sighed, pulling my head back out.

"Faye-san, behind you!" Yukari shouted. I turned just in time to block the first attack with my arm but not enough to dodge the second on.

"Io! Garu!"

"Hermes! Cleave!"

Two guns sounded off as both Personas appeared, Hermes rushing past and hitting the first Shadow. Io used a wind spell, destroying the second Shadow.

"Nice!" I ran towards the first Shadow, hitting it with the hilt of my weapon.

"Agi!" Junpei shouted as another gunshot went off. The Shadow I was about to hit burst into flames then disappeared.

Whoa uhh... There are a whole bunch of cards hovering in front on my face. Or maybe it's just my imagination since Yukari or Junpei weren't saying anything. "...The face of possibilities..." I muttered to myself, remembering Igor's words. The faces of the cards turned over then shuffled around. I picked end up being another Persona, Pixie.

"Dia..." Brought my attention back to Yukari, who had Io out and hovering in front of me. There was green glow around my injuries and the irritation went away.

Gosh! I didn't realize how much it hurt before. But now it feels perfectly fine.

"Thanks Yukari-san. So how was it, summoning you own Persona's?" I smiled.

"It was awesome!" Junpei fist pumped. "I never knew I had that kind of power!"

"Yeah...but it's freaky shooting yourself." Yukari responded. "But...how did you know the name of my Persona?"

"That's right, I think you pulled the same thing with Hermes." Junpei said, bring attention to what happened the other night.

"Um...I'm really lucky..." I shrugged. "But as for the 'shooting yourself'," I quickly changed the subject, "I'm sure you'll get use to it eventually so it won't be that hard then." Strange how I just said that; get use to shooting yourself in the head.

_"You need to be more careful from here on out."_ Mitsuru spoke again, much quietly than before. _"The Shadows will not hesitate to attack, so using your Persona is essential...Well now I should explain my Persona's abilities. With my power, I can analyze an enemy to determine it's weaknesses and strengths."_

"Huh, why didn't you tell us this before?" Junpei questioned.

"Better late than never." I sighed. "Anyway, let'a go."

No sooner did we run into more Shadows, Junpei and I rushed in after them, while Yukari hung back making a couple of shots. "Hey Senpai, do you think you can analyze these?"

_"Alright just give me a moment."_ She replied. Just before we reached them she told us their weaknesses.

"Cleave!"

"Agi!" Hermes appeared behind Chaos, casting fire spell while she into attack. Odd thing is that the spell gathered at the blade of her weapon.

"Flamberge!" We shouted, unintentionally need I remind you. My Persona slammed her weapon, now on fire, down on one of the Shadows killing it instantly. The fire from the attack spread and knocked over the other two Shadows. Yukari ran to our sides, pulling out her Evoker to attack.

"Garu!" And I quickly followed suit.

"Pixie! Garu!" Chaos disappeared and another Persona was in her place.

"Cyclone!" With another enemy just appearing, two of them were kill from the wind blast while the third was knocked down from the force of the attack. "Get it!" I yelled and Junpei and I all rushed at it. Yukari shot one more arrow and Junpei and I hit it with our weapons in a batter swing motion, utterly decimating the Shadow. Once it was gone I faced Yukari and Junpei who were slightly dumbfounded.

"...What's wrong now?"

_"Y-You..."_ Mitsuru stammered. It was completely unlike her which meant there's definitely something wrong. _"How were you able to summon another Persona?!"_

"Oh...about that..."

After about a few minutes of trying to explain stuff, including the Velvet Room which only I can apparently see unlike everyone else, they more or less accepted the fact of why I could use more than one Persona. I also decided to skip the part about Social Links just so no one would get the wrong idea. But even after that little spiel, they were still skeptical about it.

_"That was quite extensive..."_ Mitsuru trailed off.

"Yeah..."

"It's unbelievable if you ask me." Junpei commented.

_"...Regardless, you gained some experience in battle. Let's go back for the dorm for today. There should be an Access Point somewhere on that floor."_

"What does it do?" Yukari questioned.

_"You can use it to return to the entrance. Since there aren't any enemies to worry about, why don't you split up and search individually?"_

"You know, in any other situation this would be a terrible idea..." I muttered to myself. "Alright then, let's split up then!"

Junpei found the Access Point, while Yukari and I just ran into more dead ends and a few more chests. The Access Point looked like that green panel thing back at the entrance. We all stepped on it and were instantly transported to the entrance.

"Teleportation...I like." I smiled. The three of us walked over the Mitsuru and Akihiko who were still standing by the stairs.

"Welcome back. So, how was it?" Mitsuru asked.

"Not bad." I replied.

"I see." Mitsuru smiled. "Well if you gained confidence, that's the best thing you could have achieved."

"It's too bad you guys missed seeing my big debut!" Junpei said, pointing his thumb at his chest. "We also got to kick some ass! But damn, I'm beat..."

"That's cuz you were bouncin' around like a little kid." Yukari commented.

"You know, both of you look tired." I said, once I noticed the look in their eyes.

"That's the effect of the Dark Hour; you'll become fatigued more easily." I stared at her, like 'is that a thing.' "Don't worry though, you'll adapt like Aselin has. But, I'm surprised. You all did much better than I expected. At this rate, they'll catch up to you in no time Akihiko." She said turning to Akihiko.

"Heh, we'll see about that." He scoffed.

_**SHATTER**_

WAH! How many time must I endure this!

_Thou art I, and I an thou_

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to make a Persona of the Fool Arcana..._

Hehhhhh...Social Links...how I sometimes hate you so.

* * *

Initial Persona: Chaos

Level- 2

Arcana- Fool

Strength- 3

Magic- 4

Endurance- 3

Agility- 5

Luck- 2

Inherit- Ice/Wind

Resists- Wind

Block- None

Aborbs- None

Reflects- None

Weak- Electricity

Skills- Cleave/Garu/Tarukaja

* * *

And dat's all I got for you this time. Review or do whatevar you people normally do when you read a fanfic...

See ya' next time t(-w- )


	4. Avior of Empress

Eheeeeeeeeee...sorry again about the long way... It was sort of a combination of no internet, procrastination and school.../shot

Anyway ummm...here's another chapter :3

* * *

Another morning at Gekkoukan. Eventful just as any other day...except for the fact that there's an assembly today. Not something I really looked forward to since they always talk about the same stuff. Every time! No matter where you go!

I got lucky, and sat between Yukari and Junpei, so it wasn't so bad. Also managed to sneak in my headset for my Ipod so I was somewhat entertained. Yukari did give me a disapproving look until the assembly actually started. After sometime, she asked if she could listen too.

"...and that concludes the main portion of today's assembly." Turns out I was so into the music, I actually ended up missing most of the speeches... Oh well. "Next, we'll hear a word from the Student Council. Please welcome the new President, Mitsuru Kirijo, from Class 3-D." Oh, Senpai's gonna speak now.

The other girl dismissed herself and walked away from the podium as Senpai took the stand. "Thank you."

"So, she did get elected." Yukari said, who sounded irritated by it. "Well...I guess she IS the most popular girl in school."

"You can say that again." Junpei commented, now actually paying attention to the assembly.

"I wouldn't necessarily say that would be the reason." I argued with them. "She's a student here just like the rest of us."

"Yeah, but you gotta admit, there's like some kinda aura around her..." He waved his arms to emphasize. I moved my hand in a 'so so' way, half agreeing with him. "Besides, this school's owned by the Kirijo Group, right?"

"I try not to think about that." Yukari said bitterly.

Right then Mitsuru began to speak again, gaining attention from everyone in the room. "As I begin my term as Student Council President, I'd like to share with you my vision for this coming year. It is my firm belief that each of us must accept the responsibility of bettering our school. However, change cannot occur without sustained effort and an unprecedented level of commitment. That is why we must restructure out daily lives to accommodate this lofty goal. I'd like each of you to dig deeply into you well motivation, and re-evaluate your convictions... To imagine a bold new future without losing sight of the realities around you. That is the key. I am certain that many of you have your own visions of the future... For us to reap the full benefits of our education, your participation, ideas, and enthusiasm are essential. Thank you."

What Junpei said certainly didn't fall short.

"Dang..." He said in awe. Yukari and I looked over at him. "That was freaking amazing... So... Do you have any idea what she just said?"

I held back a face-palm and Yukari just sighed, slouching in her chair. Even affected by this so called 'aura', he still doesn't get a single thing. "Junpei..." I sighed. "In short, she said make good goals so you can perform better in school."

"Oh..." How did he get into Gekkoukan in the first place.

* * *

I stepped through the doors and Mitsuru immediately took notice of me. "Welcome back."

"Go to be back." I replied with a sheepish smile.

"And perfect timing as well... I'd like to speak with you for a moment." I slightly tilted my head at the statement, wondering what she wanted to talk about. I walked over to where she sat and took my place in the couch opposite from her. "Regarding out exploration of Tartarus. Akihiko is still on the mend, so for now, I'd like you to lead the team."

"Really?" I questioned, leaning forward ever so slightly in my seat. "I just assumed it was going to be for that one night."

"The decision was made when I talked with Akihiko and The Chairman based upon your skills you demonstrated yesterday." She explained. "You never know when a powerful enemy might appear, like the one you faced the other day. It's best to be prepared, or else we may find ourselves in a difficult situation."

"Oh..." A lot more responsibility just because I can use multiple Personas, just like Igor said. Awesome...

"Also, whenever you'd like to explore Tartarus, just let me know, and I'll gather everyone there." And leave it up to the 'President' to get everything organized. "Since I'm sure there are other things you will need to take care of, you may go out at night if you need to." I nodded. "Well, that's it. Keep up the good work." I bow my head and got up from the couch.

Right after I think of something. "Actually, do you think we could go again tonight?" I asked.

She lightly smiled at my question. "Very well, I'll inform the others. Make sure you're not late."

"Thank you." It felt like I was just asking something from my... Meh. I went straight upstairs to work on all of the homework I had. I'm still playing catch up and waking up midnight doesn't really help me concentrate during the day. At least it's just not beneficial for doing class work. Why couldn't the Dark Hour be at a more convenient time...like 5 in the afternoon or something!

* * *

"Staaaaaaairs."

"Uh Faye-san, you alright?" Yukari asked as the three of us rounded another corner.

"Yeah I'm fine, I just wanna know where these stupid stairs are. I'd really like to move up from here." I explained.

"You're really into this..."

"In a way I guess" We had been stuck on the third floor for quite some time and I was getting tired of it. Luckily the search was quick so we were able to go up to the next floor. Still would of been nice if we found them sooner.

Mitsuru also mention that there was something just on the floor above us, which made me question did I really want to find the stairs that fast. Yes, we've gotta climb the tower so it's just inevitable for us to run into something. Luckily there weren't a lot of shadows just like the day before; easier for exploring and getting all the yens.

Just before we reached the stairs to head up to the fifth floor, another group of Shadows decided it'd be a good time to attack. We got rid of them quickly since Mitsuru's been telling us their weakness. Plus I keep getting more Persona's.

"Just how many do you have?!" Junpei asked right after we bet the last Shadow.

"Um." I ran through them in my head, counting them on my fingers. "3...4. I've got 4 so far."

"So far!?" He parroted.

"Like I told you before, I apparently have this 'infinite potential'," I re-explained, swinging around my weapon to emphasize, "so who knows how many I can use."

"Man, that's not fair." He complained, slouching over himself.

"It's not like I decided to have this many." I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest. I stood there and thought for a moment. "Think about this; would you rather have one really strong Persona, or a bunch of weaker ones."

Junpei rubbed his chin, contemplating his response. "I'd go for the strong one."

"Same, but I can't exactly do that, now can I." I grinned.

_"Watch out! There are Shadow's coming up from behind you!"_ Senpai hollered over the communicator.

"Whe-WHOA!" I nearly dodge an arrow that was aimed at my head. Two more came hurdling out of the darkness towards us. One missed but the other one hit me right in my leg. A couple of the Shadows emerged from the direction of the arrows and they strangely reminded me of cupid. Weird.

But I digress, all three of us had to keep dodging their arrows while trying to get in close enough for an attack. "Senpai! Do you think you can analyze these?!" I yelled, dodging another arrow.

_"Alright, give me a moment."_ Finally Junpei managed to get one of the Cupid's, as I am dubbing them, with the very tip of his sword. It was enough to send it into a daze but not to kill it.

"Okay this is just getting annoying!" I shouted as I pulled out my Evoker. "Chaos! Cleave!" Pulling the trigger, she materialized in front of me and rushed towards the closest enemy. She swung her weapon down in it, crushing to Shadow into a gooey mess before disappearing.

Static noise started coming from the communicator._ "They are all weak to Bufu spells!"_

"Just in time." I looked over towards Yukari who was further away from the fight. She was shooting arrows at the Cupid's, barely missing each one. "Yukari-san!"

"Yeah?" She asked after shooting another arrow.

"Wanna try a fusion spell?!" I asked, pulling my Evoker back out.

"Sure, what's there to lose!" She also pulled out her's then pointed it to her head. "Io! Garu!"

"Apsaras! Bufu!" Both Persona's appeared, Apsaras throw her spell towards the whirlwind that was created by Io.

"Cold Snap!" Ice crystals formed in the in wind until the entire battle field was covered in a block of Ice. It shatter, destroying the all the Shadows caught within it.

"Yeah!" I fist pumped, before high-fiving Yukari.

She laughed in excitement. "Maybe we should do that more often."

"I say you shouldn't!" Junpei shouted. Yukari and I looked over in his direction and...noticed something went slightly wrong.

"Oh...sorry 'bout that." I apologized. There was a bunch of ice stuck to him, most likely from being caught in the attack. His sword was also frozen, stuck to the ground in a sheet of ice. I wonder if fusion spells do more damage or something. "Uh, you want me to use Agi to get rid of that?"

"J-Just do it on the sword!" He stuttered.

* * *

After that little incident, we continued up to the next floor that had a considerably large entrance. It had to be about as big as the lobby, maybe bigger.

_"I detect three Shadows on this floor's central area."_ Mitsuru announce once we entered the room. _"They're not like the ones you've faced before."_

All three of us took on a more defensive position, preparing for the worst. We slowly walked down the hall waiting for one of the Shadow's to pop out. And we would of kept going to until I heard something overhead of us.

I looked at the source and saw these three vulture things flying right at us. "DODGE!" The other two glance back before they rolled of to the side. "Misturu! Can you get a scan on these?" I shouted into the communicator as I got back up to my feet.

Meanwhile, Yukari brought out her Evoker to summoning Io. "Garu!" Then a vortex appeared below one of them. Though it looked like it didn't do anything, they just sort of brushed it off like it was nothing. "Guys, I don't think wind attacks won't work on these."

"Let me try something." Junpei ran ahead of her, pulling out his evoker. "Agi!" Fire burst fourth in front of the Shadow. It definitely was effective if it weren't for the fact that it was all absorbed by the thing.

"Fire is officially out!" And it wasn't a moment longer before they decided to attack. Each of the birds took their chance to dive at us again. One of them threw a wind spell at Yukari, who thankfully didn't take much damage from it.

It was great knowing they could use Garu attacks, but bad considering we found out the hard way that Garu if one of Junpei's weaknesses. He was sent flying from the attack, then the stupid bird decided to take the opportunity to hit him again. Before it could I managed to hit it's wing, deterring it and making the Shadow back off. In that time, Junpei got back up on his feet and slashed at the same Shadow, sending it further away but not enough to make it fall down.

The Shadows attention then fell on us two since they weren't able to get many strong attacks in on Yukari. She was defended herself perfectly fine from all of the wind spells and managed to heal herself in between.

A static noise began coming through the headset. _"The Shadows are weak to Pierce attacks."_ And just in time too.

"Yukari! Did you get that?" I asked her, just before dodging another wind attack.

Not a moment to soon she took aim and fired arrows at one of the birds. It hit the ground hard, picking up some of the dirt around it and sending it in the air. Yukari didn't hesitate to hit the other two, not missing a single mark. All three of them laid there on the ground, attempting to get themselves back up. "Let's go!" I shouted, running straight at them while summoning Nekomata. Junpei did the same, bringing out Hermes. Both of them slashed at the Shadows as Junpei and I did the same with our weapons. Yukari stood further back and fired her arrows at the Shadows, effectively making one of them disappear.

"Nice!" Yukari shouted out in triumph. The other two quickly rose up after seeing their comrade fallen. Both of them flew right at Junpei and I, each of us immediately dodging to the side. They flew around aiming to attack us again. I held out my Niginata at the last moment to hit one of their wings, making it fly off course. It smashed into the ground before quickly rising back up. Junpei tried his best to hit the other one with his sword, but the Shadow moved out of the way before the strike could connect.

While both of the Shadows were avoid our attack, Yukari was firing more arrows at them in an attempt to knock either one down. She manage the hit one straight in the mask, making it hurdle towards the floor. Junpei ran at it and brought down his sword onto it's back, crushing it until it dissipated into nothing.

With one left I summoned Chaos. "Cleave!" She quickly swung her weapon, sending at the wall; leaving cracks in the wall were the Shadow made contact. Junpei and I dashed at the Shadow as Yukari shot another arrow at it, landing right on the chest. Grabbing tightly onto our weapons we slashing the Shadow's mask, the blades moving right down the center of it body. It slowly vanished into the darkness, leaving no trace.

By the end of this, all of us were breathing heavily from the fight. We looked at each other smiling in relief, letting out a small laugh. "Well...wasn't that exciting?" I grinned, crossing my arms over my chest. I was still breathing hard so I ended up not holding that stance for too long.

"Man...you tired too." Junpei was leaning over himself, using his legs as support.

"After running around...so much...who...wouldn't be." Yukari spoke in between breaths. Even if she wasn't in the center battle, she was running around just as much. And I can say from experience that shooting arrows while running isn't the easiest job in the world.

_"Excellent job. You all out preformed yourselves out there."_ Mitsuru commented.

I smiled at the remark then looked over at Yukari. "I think most of the congrats...should be going to Yukari." I smiled.

She smiled. "Thanks Faye-san." The she let out a big sigh. "I don't think I can do anymore tonight."

"Me either." I said tiredly. With all of the fighting we did tonight, it would be a surprise if any of us weren't tired. I examined the surroundings to see if there was some sort of warp panels to go to. "Ugh, do we have to go to another floor to find a panel."

The static started coming through the headset once again. _"That won't be necessary "_ She casually explained. _"During your battle I noticed there was something similar down the hall. It should work the same."_

"Saves us some time. Let's go check it." Junpei announced, already walking further ahead of us. Yukari and I quickly caught up to the guy just in time to see him messing with the panel. Mitsuru was right about it being 'something similar' since it wasn't insta-warp. It had a dial at the top of it, marking differect floors on it, though it didn't any further than 25. We turned it until the dial rested on one and as soon as we stepped on the panel, we were instantly sent to the lobby.

"I knew it!" Mitsuru spoke up once we appeared.

"Huh? I knew what?" I asked as the three of us stepped off the panel and walked towards her.

"I was analyzing the device during your battle, but only gathered so much information I could only speculate how it would work." She explained. "It seems to work like the other warp panels but connects to other devices like it. By activating it you can move to the entrance..."

"So then the numbers on there are the other floors we can go to?"

"Exactly. They'll be very useful during the expeditions."

"That will have to continue another time." I said, yawning right at the end of my sentence.

"What she said," Junpei commented, "I beat..."

Mitsuru examined all of us, sighing in slight disappointment. "Perhaps we should call it a day, after that battle I can see you all exhausted."

I just shrugged, half-smiling at the same time. We didn't reach our limit yesterday, but we certainly surpassed it today. The longer we stood there, the more tired we were all feeling. So much so that on the train ride back the three of us started leaning on each other trying to fall asleep. Oh yeah. I didn't even bother changing into my pj's when we got back. And I think I could say the say for Junpei and Yukari.

* * *

The next morning, I think Yukari somehow managed to get up earlier than me and head to school. Maybe coffee got her up cause that's what the entire lounge smelled like when I got down there. And since she left early, I was left to the task of making sure that Junpei got up that morning. Him being the last one of us up, we barely made it to the last train that was heading for school.

"Man, I so tired." He complained. "Coming to school is a job in itself." We were both really sluggish this morning and I think I could agree with everyone to not fight that much ever again.

"You're not alone." I sighed still tired from last night. I been playing the most energetic music I could find on my Ipod and that was barely waking me up. That and I refuse to drink coffee. Not matter what people say, I'll never drink that nasty bean juice. I don't even care how good it smells or how much suger is in it, it's all the same.

"Things got rough all of a sudden..." He trailed off, thinking something to himself. "Well, I do feel a lot more satisfied, though."

"You do?" I questioned. I was a little confused to say the least. More satisfied?

"Yeah, having somethin' that only we can do… It just feels great." He smiled, feeling accomplished in himself. Now I saw what he ment.

"I guess you have a point there." I remarked quietly.

And not before long he started to yawn again. "Oh man, I'm getting teary eyed now…"

"Don't start with the yawning or it'll be like back on the train."

"What, that wasn't my fault."

"Meh." Then I also yawned. Unintentionally of course.

* * *

And just our luck, we had a surprise assembly today. I was a bit caught off guard and barely managed to grab my Ipod and headphones. But seriously, why is there another assembly. Wasn't it enough that we had one the day before. Even considering that I think they covered everything in it too, so what's the whole point of this.

About was about 30 minutes later before the actuall thing started. "We'll now begin this morning's assembly." The teacher on stage announced. "First, our principlal has some words he'd like to share with you. Please give him a warm welcome." The teacher stepped away allowing the pincipal to take her spot.

"What's the deal with the assembly?" Yukari asked quietly. "You think it's about the recent incidents?"

I was about to open my mouth before closing it. She brought up a very good point. "You think? I was about to say maybe he forgot to announce something yesterday, but that does sound like a reason too." Regardless I was going to put on my headphones anyway.

"Who cares?" Junpei interrupted. "The Principal doesn't know anything about the Shadows, anyway. I just hope this doesn't take too long..." He trailed off before yawing again.

"I know. His speeches always drag." That's right...

"If you end up falling asleep, I don't blame ya'." I commented. "I'll wake you up later if you do." I turned up my music just enough so I could still hear the principal talk, just incase something important did come up.

"Ahem. Today, I'd like to tell you about my, um, vision for this school year." And he's talking REALLY slow, too. "As you are aware, strange incidents have been reported on the news lately. It is my firm belief that none of you are involved. However, if we want to better our school, then we all need to accept responsibility for change." I progressively started lowering my music listening to the principal speak. "Dig deep down inside, and tap into your imaginations. ...But don't lose touch with reality. As they say, 'There's no use crying over spilt milk.' This is the key to reaping all the rewards that school has to offer..."

"Hey is it just me..." I slowly trailed off as I listened to it, "or does this sound familiar."

"No, I think you're right..." Yukari also had the same thought as me. "Doesn't this remind you of Mitsuru-senpai's speech?"

"Yeah, you're right." Junpei spoke up. I guess as the speech went on all three of us noticed this. "What's up with that?!"

"I bet he probably felt bad that a student upped him in yesterdays assembly." I commented, crossing my arms over my chest and slouching in my chair.

And Yukari was also right about his speeches dragging on cause this thing lasted longer than Mitsuru's speech. Gosh, I wonder if she'll anything to him.

* * *

Persona's currently equipped:

Chaos

Pixie

Apsaras

Nekomata

* * *

Sooooo yeah...a bit shorter than usual but it's a chapter all the same

Anyway see ya' next chapter t(-w- )


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